Football Game Preview: Kofa Kings vs. Desert Sunrise Golden Hawks + Official Tickets

The Kofa Kings will square off against the Desert Sunrise Golden Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Kofa has given up an average of 34.9 points per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Kofa is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 32 points last Friday, they were much more limited against Gila Ridge on Thursday. They had to suffer through a 63-6 loss at the hands of the Hawks. The Kings haven't had much luck with the Hawks recently, as the team has come up short the last seven times they've met.

Meanwhile, Desert Sunrise entered their tilt with Sierra Linda on Friday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They blew past the Bulldogs, posting a 46-18 win. The result was nothing new for the Golden Hawks, who have now won three contests by 20 points or more so far this season.

Desert Sunrise's win came from a few key players Kofa will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Trae Walker, who rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries, and also threw for 139 yards and one TD on only 12 passes. Aime Lamour was another key player, gaining 125 total yards and three touchdowns.

Desert Sunrise was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 229 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 193 rushing yards in four consecutive matchups.

One reason for the win was Desert Sunrise's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for seven sacks. The heavy lifting was done by CJ Smith and Noah Stern, who racked up five sacks between them. Desert Sunrise got some further help from Jordan Bagely: he picked up a sack and made nine total tackles in addition to snagging an interception.

Desert Sunrise's victory bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Kofa, they now have a losing record of 3-4.