Football Preview: Cole Valley Christian Chargers vs. Fruitland Grizzlies
The Cole Valley Christian Chargers will be staying on the road on Friday to face off against the Fruitland Grizzlies at 7:00 p.m. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Cole Valley Christian is headed into the match having just posted their biggest win since August 25, 2023 on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Wendell 47-7 on the road. The Chargers' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Aiden Shanks was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 74 yards. Cole Valley Christian also got a significant boost from Noah Sulahian, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 86 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Cole Valley Christian was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 354 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted was before the start of last season.
Cole Valley Christian'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 Ethan Epler and Nathan Byrne. Byrne is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made seven or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Fruitland put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. Everything went their way against Nampa Christian as Fruitland made off with a 21-0 victory. Given the Grizzlies' advantage in MaxPreps' Idaho football rankings (they are ranked 20th, while the Trojans are ranked 60th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Fruitland found their leader in underclassman Quinn Hood, who made 20 total tackles (2.0 for loss). Coye Coffman was another key player, gaining 33 total yards and two touchdowns.
Cole Valley Christian's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-3. As for Fruitland, they pushed their record up to 4-0 with the victory, which was their third straight at home.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Cole Valley Christian has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 163 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Fruitland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 203.5. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Cole Valley Christian didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Fruitland when the teams last played back in September of 2021, but they still walked away with a 26-21 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cole Valley Christian since the squad 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
