Football Preview: Tonopah Muckers vs. Beatty Hornets
Tonopah has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will challenge the Beatty Hornets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Tonopah is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Round Mountain, who was ranked 11th in their home state at the time (Tonopah was ranked second). Tonopah took their contest at home on Friday with ease, bagging a 60-6 victory over Round Mountain.
Tonopah got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Dustin Otteson out in front who rushed for 219 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries, and also picked up 77 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Those 219 rushing yards gave Otteson a new career-high. Drew Otteson was another key signal caller, throwing for 220 yards and five touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Tonopah was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 295 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 272 rushing yards in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Beatty at home against Laughlin last Friday as the team secured a 46-12 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Hornets.
Beatty had a senior duo take command as Derek Mendoza threw for 166 yards and three touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes and Reese Taylor picked up 97 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Taylor is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games.
Tonopah pushed their record up to 5-1 with the win, which was their third straight at home. As for Beatty, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Tonopah has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 302.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Beatty struggles in that department as they've been averaging 153.6. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Tonopah against Beatty when the teams last played back in September of 2023, as the squad secured a 70-8 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Tonopah since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
