Football Preview: Walsenburg Panthers vs. Las Animas Trojans
The Walsenburg Panthers are headed away from home for the first time to square off against the Las Animas Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Walsenburg is headed out to face Las Animas after opening their season at home and giving their fans just what they were looking for. Walsenburg blew past Lyons, posting a 64-36 win at home.
Giovanni Aldretti went supernova for Walsenburg, rushing for 302 yards and four touchdowns on only 14 carries, while also picking up 93 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Aldretti's longest rush was for an impressive 68 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Backing up that air attack was Adrian Vallejos, who rushed for 80 yards.
Walsenburg wouldn't let Lyons keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Walsenburg can thank Xavier Lopez and Logan Tenorio for forcing both of them. Lopez didn't just play on offense: he also forced a fumble and made eight total tackles.
Meanwhile, Las Animas had to kick off their season on the road on Friday, but they showed no ill effects. Everything went their way against Sangre de Cristo as Las Animas made off with a 46-24 victory.
Orion Martinez was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 243 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.1 yards per carry, and also picked up 56 receiving yards and a touchdown. He also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, forcing a fumble and making six total tackles (2.0 for loss). Another player making a difference was Braydon Ortiz, who rushed for 53 yards and a touchdown on only six carries.
Everything came up roses for Walsenburg against Las Animas in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 as the squad secured a 42-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Walsenburg 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
