Norco is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Friday. They will welcome the Murrieta Valley Nighthawks at 7:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Norco sitting on five straight victories and Murrieta Valley on three.
Norco is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Citrus Valley: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Cougars blew the Blackhawks out of the water with a 52-21 final score. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by 31 points or more this season.
Norco's win two weeks ago was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Dylan Troelstrup, who rushed for 138 yards and three TDs while picking up 7.3 yards per carry. Another passer making a difference was Julian Medina, who threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns while completing 72.7% of his passes.
Norco's run defense was locked in: Citrus Valley could only muster 2.3 yards per carry. The team can thank Eddy Hernandez for the heroic effort on defense: he. Norco didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 7.2.
Norco's defense didn't let the opposing QB, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for five sacks. Taevin Black was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself. Tony Gonzalez was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making four total tackles in addition to snagging two interceptions.
Meanwhile, Murrieta Valley earned a 26-14 win over San Clemente on Friday. Those 26 points were actually the fewest the Nighthawks have put up all season, but given the result they're probably not too concerned.
Norco better keep an eye on Jeremiah Watson. He was instrumental in Murrieta Valley's win, rushing for 207 yards and a pair of scores while picking up 7.1 yards per carry. Those 207 rushing yards gave Watson a new career-high.
Murrieta Valley didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Derrick Johnson II and Joseph Rodriguez. Rodriguez has been hot, having also posted five or more total tackles the last six times he's played. Murrieta Valley got some further help from Abelardo Leos: he picked up a sack and made 11 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Norco's victory bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Murrieta Valley, their win bumped their record up to 4-1.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Norco has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 297.4 passing yards per game. Murrieta Valley, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 206.2 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Norco lost to Murrieta Valley at home by a decisive 42-27 margin in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Cougars, Dorian Hoze (who rushed for 163 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 7.4 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
