Two dominant backs in Elijah Irvin and Carson James are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Saginaw Rough Riders will welcome the Arlington Heights Yellowjackets at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Saginaw took a loss when they played away from home last Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Trimble Tech 48-14. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Rough Riders' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 507th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 1018th).
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Saginaw to victory, but perhaps none more so than Joshua Greek, who threw for 164 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. Derek Harris also deserves some recognition as he hauled in his first receiving touchdown of the season.
Saginaw didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Trimble Tech to a completion percentage of just 40%. The team can thank Cornell Davis for the heroic effort on defense: he. Saginaw wasn't nearly as limited: they posted one of 60.9%.
Saginaw didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. Jaivean Goff led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself. Enrique Cox got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Arlington Heights strolled into their game on Thursday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They claimed a resounding 65-0 win over Polytechnic. The Yellowjackets pushed the score to 56-0 by the end of the third, a deficit the Parrots had no chance of recovering from.
A big part of Arlington Heights' victory came down to the chemistry between Carmelo Carter and his top target Yakeime Thomas. Carter rushed for 73 yards and one score while Thomas gained 120 total yards and two touchdowns. Carter really tore up the turf during one magnificent 73-yard run. Antonio Johnson also helped with two TDs in total.
Arlington Heights' win bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Saginaw, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Saginaw didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Arlington Heights in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, but they still walked away with a 21-15 victory. Do the Rough Riders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Yellowjackets turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
