Football Preview: Palo Verde Panthers vs. Green Valley Gators
The Palo Verde Panthers will challenge the Green Valley Gators at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
Palo Verde is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They came up short against Shadow Ridge on Friday, falling 49-28. The Panthers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 28-7.
Even though they lost, Palo Verde was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 211 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2023.
Meanwhile, Green Valley faced Legacy in a battle between two of the state's top teams two weeks ago. Green Valley came out on top in a nail-biter against Legacy , sneaking past 38-35. That looming 38-35 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Gators yet this season.
Green Valley found their leader in underclassman Michael Lewis, who threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 passes.
Green Valley's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Esteban Martinez and John Mancuso.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Green Valley, adding 12 points to the final score. All came courtesy of Dax Arnold: he went 3-for-3 kicking field goals for nine points, and 3-for-3 again kicking extra points for an additional three.
Palo Verde's defeat was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Green Valley, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 3-1.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Palo Verde has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 156.6 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Green Valley has preferred to attack from the air: they average 280 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Palo Verde won a game that couldn't have been any closer in their previous meeting back in September of 2021, slipping by Green Valley 21-20. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Green Valley's Jaylen Mcknight, who rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.8 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Palo Verde to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
