Football Game Preview: Shiprock Chieftains vs. Gallup Bengals + How To Watch

The Shiprock Chieftains will square off against the Gallup Bengals at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Shiprock is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They were just a hair shy of victory on Thursday and fell 24-23 to Zuni.

Although Shiprock took the loss, they still got scores from Blake Begay, Arnesto Manygoat, Akoni Clah, and Zach Billy.

Meanwhile, Gallup never let their opponents score on Friday. They blew past Crownpoint, posting a 52-0 win. The Bengals' offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.

Gallup found their leader in sophomore Tristan Garcia, who threw for 257 yards and six touchdowns while completing 73.3% of his passes. Garcia's passing game has become a key predictor of the Bengals' success: the team is 2-1 when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 2-4 otherwise. Jayson Bruner was Garcia's top target, picking up 155 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.

Gallup's victory ended a five-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 4-5. As for Shiprock, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-8.

Shiprock took their win against Gallup in their previous matchup back in October of 2024 by a conclusive 40-18 score. Do the Chieftains have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bengals turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.