Football Preview: Chaparral Firebirds vs. Desert Vista Thunder
The Chaparral Firebirds will stay at home for another week and welcome the Desert Vista Thunder at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Desert Vista took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Chaparral, who comes in off a win.
Chaparral will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up seven points last Friday, then bounced right back against Tolleson on Thursday. Chaparral blew past Tolleson 31-7. The Firebirds' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Chaparral's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Hunter Wohland led the charge by picking up 158 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The team also got some help courtesy of Max Wagner, who threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns.
Chaparral wouldn't let Tolleson keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Seiji Hegg, Brandyn Willman, and Willman picked up one apiece. The dominant performance also gave Hegg a new career-high in rushing yards.
Meanwhile, Desert Vista entered their match against Hamilton on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Desert Vista was outmatched by Hamilton at home and fell 52-18. The defeat continues a trend for the Thunder in their matchups with the Huskies: they've now lost four in a row.
Despite the loss, Desert Vista got top-tier performance from Isaac Price, who picked up 175 receiving yards and two touchdowns. With that strong performance, Price is now averaging an impressive 115.2 receiving yards per game. Seth Hanson was another key player, throwing for 212 yards and two touchdowns.
Chaparral's victory ended a four-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 2-2. As for Desert Vista, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.
Chaparral strolled past Desert Vista in their previous matchup back in September of 2023 by a score of 38-21. Does Chaparral have another victory up their sleeve, or will Desert Vista turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
