Football Preview: Verrado Vipers vs. Millennium Tigers
The Verrado Vipers will face off against the Millennium Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Verrado knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past six matchups -- so hopefully Millennium likes a good challenge.
Verrado is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Cactus just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell 50-41 to the Cobras. That makes it the first time this season the Vipers have let down their home crowd.
Loss or not, Verrado got some senior leadership from Jack Isidore and Chase Gieszler. Isidore gained 218 total yards and two touchdowns, while Gieszler threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns on only 17 passes. Isidore's longest rush was for an incredible 72 yards. Deriece Brown was another key player, picking up 137 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Even though they lost, Verrado was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 220 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
Verrado wouldn't let Cactus keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Jordan Peters, Richard Hinckley, and Brown picked up one apiece. With that strong performance, Hinckley is now averaging an impressive 5.2 total tackles per game.
Meanwhile, Millennium posted their closest win since October 27, 2023 on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 21-18 victory over Canyon View.
Donovan Delong had a dynamite game for Millennium, rushing for 162 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.1 yards per carry, and also throwing for 122 yards and a touchdown. Those 162 rushing yards gave Delong a new career-high. Trey Peck was Delong's top target, picking up 102 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Verrado's defeat dropped their record down to 5-2. As for Millennium, their win bumped their record up to 3-4.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: Verrado has been excellent in the air this season, having averaged 277.4 passing yards per game. It's a different story for Millennium, though, as they've been averaging only 113.3. How will they fare against such a dominant passing game?
Verrado ended up a good deal behind Millennium when the teams last played back in October of 2023, losing 24-10. Will Verrado have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
