Football Preview: Thunderbird Titans vs. Yuma Catholic Shamrocks
After two games on the road, Thunderbird is heading back home. They will welcome the Yuma Catholic Shamrocks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Thunderbird's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They breezed by Lake Havasu on the road to the tune of 46-0. That 46 point margin sets a new team best for the Titans this season.
It was another big night for Elijah Little, who rushed for 122 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 7.6 yards per carry. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his eighth straight game with at least 107 rushing yards dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Daryl Little II, who picked up 97 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Thunderbird was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 203 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 164 rushing yards in 11 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Thunderbird's defense and their three sacks. Mason Fosu was especially locked on to Lake Havasu's QB and sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, Yuma Catholic blew past St. Mary's, posting a 45-13 victory at home. Given the Shamrocks' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona football rankings (they are ranked 31st, while the Knights are ranked 103rd), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Sir Stokes continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, picking up 269 receiving yards and three touchdowns. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 108.4 receiving yards per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Benton Beck, who gained 122 total yards and a touchdown.
Thunderbird pushed their record up to 6-0 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Yuma Catholic, their victory bumped their record up to 5-1.
Thursday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Thunderbird has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 246 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Yuma Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 64.5. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Thunderbird lost to Yuma Catholic at home by a decisive 24-7 margin in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. Thankfully for Thunderbird, Tayt Ford (who rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.2 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
