The Florence Gophers will square off against the Sabino Sabercats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Sabino took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Florence, who comes in off a win.
Florence is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took down Shadow Mountain 30-12 on Friday. The Gophers pushed the score to 30-6 by the end of the third, a deficit the Matadors cut but never quite recovered from.
Florence's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Brody Ramirez, who rushed for 96 yards on only six carries, and also threw for 207 yards on only 14 passes. Another back making a difference was Victor Juarez, who rushed for 61 yards and one TD.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Florence proved: they limited Shadow Mountain to a paltry -1.2 yards per carry. The team can thank Soldier Blouir for the heroic effort on defense: he. Florence's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 2.53 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 5.77 on average over their last five games.
Florence didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Wyatt Stenson and Blouir. Philip Florez was another major factor on D, picking up two sacks and making five total tackles.
The home team had come away the winner the last four times Sabino and Pusch Ridge Christian Academy had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Sabercats received a blow last Friday as they fell 27-8 to the Lions.
Even if they lost, Sabino's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: Gabe Warren and Shaundon Harris, who each picked up 0.5 sacks apiece.
The victory made it two in a row for Florence and bumps their season record up to 3-4. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 14 points in those games. As for Sabino, their loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 3-4.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Florence has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 155.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Sabino struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 150.3 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
