The Northwest Christian Crusaders are taking a road trip to square off against the Walden Grove Red Wolves at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Northwest Christian took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They blew past Paradise Honors 42-21. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 28-7.
Laki Wallwork
| 10/03/25 vs Thunderbird | 169.8 |
| 08/29/25 vs Independence | 161.5 |
| 10/30/25 vs Paradise Honors | 136.5 |
| 09/26/25 vs Moon Valley | 117.8 |
| 10/17/25 vs St. Mary's | 102.4 |
| + 5 more games |
Laki Wallwork was his usual excellent self, rushing for 94 yards and two scores on only ten carries, while also throwing for 268 yards and three TDs while completing 76.7% of his passes. His passing game has become a key predictor of Northwest Christian's success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 2-4 otherwise. Nathan Johannes helped out on the ground, rushing for 97 yards and a rushing touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Northwest Christian was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 219 rushing yards. They are a perfect 3-0 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Walden Grove). They blew past Amphitheater, posting a 58-6 victory. The Red Wolves' offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.
Walden Grove's win came from a few key players Northwest Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Gauge Abalos, who threw for 77 yards and three touchdowns, and also punched in one rushing score. Those three passing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. Mason Wright was another key player, rushing for 56 yards and one score on only five carries.
Walden Grove has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 12.4 points on average over those games. As for Northwest Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 6-4.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Northwest Christian has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 158.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Walden Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 175.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Northwest Christian came up short against Walden Grove when the teams last played back in November of 2024, falling 30-20. Can the Crusaders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
