Preview: Arroyo Valley Hawks vs. Fontana Steelers
Arroyo Valley and Fontana are an even 3-3 against one another since August of 2016, but not for long. The Arroyo Valley Hawks will head out on the road to face off against the Fontana Steelers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Fontana took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Arroyo Valley, who comes in off a win.
Arroyo Valley had a rough season last year, but they look ready to turn that poor record around this year. They secured a 30-26 W over Colton on Friday. The score was all tied up 14-14 at the break, but Arroyo Valley was the better team in the second half.
Ronald Weathers continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 319 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 10.0 yards per carry, and also picking up 64 receiving yards. Weathers is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last eight games he's played.
Arroyo Valley's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB three times. Leading the way was Mattathias Williams and his two sacks.
Meanwhile, Fontana fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against San Gorgonio on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell to the Spartans 27-21.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Rashawn Williams, who rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown. Ruben Camacho also helped with two touchdowns in total.
Arroyo Valley's victory bumped their record up to 7-2. As for Fontana, they now have a losing record at 4-5.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Arroyo Valley has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 257 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Fontana struggles in that department as they've been averaging 198.1 per game. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Arroyo Valley came up short against Fontana in their previous meeting back in October of 2022, falling 28-22. Thankfully for Arroyo Valley, Andrew Urciel (who threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 11.8 yards per attempt) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
