Football Preview: Valor Christian Eagles vs. Ralston Valley Mustangs
After two games on the road, Valor Christian is heading back home. They will host the Ralston Valley Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Valor Christian is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. Everything went their way against Mullen on Friday as Valor Christian made off with a 46-20 win. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado football rankings (they are ranked third, while the Mustangs are ranked 31st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
A big part of Valor Christian's victory came down to the chemistry between Dawson Olk and his top target Cash Spence. Olk threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns while completing 74.1% of his passes while Spence gained 138 total yards and three touchdowns. The dominant performance also gave Olk a new career-high in rushing yards. Another player making a difference was Chase Hanosh, who rushed for 49 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Ralston Valley put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They took their match at home with ease, bagging a 39-2 win over ThunderRidge. That looming 39-2 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Mustangs yet this season.
Ralston Valley's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Zeke Andrews led the charge by throwing for 233 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 30 yards and a touchdown. Colton Stratman was another key back, rushing for 88 yards and two touchdowns.
Ralston Valley's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Matt Gates and Hunter Essenpreis. Gates is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made seven or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season.
Valor Christian's victory bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Ralston Valley, they pushed their record up to 4-0 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Valor Christian has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 156.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Ralston Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 160. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Valor Christian and Ralston Valley were neck-and-neck in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, but Valor Christian came up empty-handed after a 22-21 loss. Thankfully for Valor Christian, Logan Madden (who rushed for 63 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 181 yards and a touchdown while completing 75% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
