Football Game Preview: Morenci Wildcats vs. Miami Vandals

The Morenci Wildcats will take on the Miami Vandals at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Morenci has three straight wins, Miami has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

It was a proper cat-fight when Morenci faced off against Benson on Thursday. The Wildcats snuck past the Bobcats with a 20-14 victory.

Morenci's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Derick Lytle, who rushed for 103 yards and one score, and Julien Aragon, who rushed for 92 yards. Lytle didn't just play on offense: he also picked up a sack, made two total tackles, and defended one pass.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Morenci was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 268 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 161 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.

Morenci didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jaymz Guzzo and Kiano Torres.

Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Miami's offense. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 55-0 to Pima, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.

Miami's defeat dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Morenci, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.

Everything came up roses for Morenci against Miami in their previous matchup back in October of 2022, as the squad secured a 49-6 victory. In that matchup, the Wildcats amassed a halftime lead of 20-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.