The ALA - Gilbert North Eagles will square off against the Gilbert Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
As a matter of fact, ALA - Gilbert North put up the most points they have all season on Friday. They claimed a resounding 63-0 victory over Skyline. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona football rankings (they are ranked 26th, while the Coyotes are ranked 132nd) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ben Livingston was his usual excellent self, throwing for 215 yards and four touchdowns while completing 76.9% of his passes, and also punching in one TD on the ground. Another player making a difference was Isaac Massey, who picked up 38 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something ALA - Gilbert North proved: they limited Skyline to a paltry 0.2 yards per carry. While three picked up at least three total tackles, Ridge Jobe stood above the rest. He picked up three sacks and made three total tackles. ALA - Gilbert North hasn't allowed more than 2.9 yards per carry in three consecutive contests.
ALA - Gilbert North's defense didn't let Owen Claridge, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. In fact, those sacks all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Jobe.
Meanwhile, Gilbert hadn't done well against Campo Verde recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Tigers skirted past the Coyotes 49-46.
Gilbert had a senior duo take command as Jonathan Guy gained 172 total yards and four touchdowns and Zane Grant threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns. Grant's passing game has become a key predictor of the Tigers' success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 1-2 otherwise.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Gilbert, adding 11 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Guy, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
ALA - Gilbert North's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 46.7 points over those games. As for Gilbert, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.
We should be in store for an exciting game as ALA - Gilbert North and Gilbert have no problem gaining yardage. The Eagles have been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 354.7 total yards per game. However, it's not like Gilbert struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 378 total yards. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them.
ALA - Gilbert North beat Gilbert 20-10 when the teams last played back in September of 2024. Do the Eagles have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
