Football Preview: Desert Ridge Jaguars vs. Westwood Warriors
After two games on the road, Desert Ridge is heading back home. They will host the Westwood Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Westwood took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Desert Ridge, who comes in off a win.
Having struggled with eight losses in a row dating back to last season, Desert Ridge finally turned things around against Tolleson on Friday. They claimed a resounding 49-6 win over the Wolverines on the road. The Jaguars' offense finally found a way to get into gear: the high-octane performance was a 180-degree turn from their last four games.
Michael Alvarado was nothing short of spectacular: he picked up 76 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 47 yards. Blake Julien was another key player, rushing for 55 yards and a touchdown.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Desert Ridge's defense and their four sacks. Leonidas To'Oto'O was especially locked on to Tolleson's QB and sacked him twice. Zander Fuentes was another major factor on D, making 13 total tackles (1.0 for loss) and snagged an interception.
Meanwhile, a victory for Westwood just wasn't in the cards on Thursday as the team wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They lost 28-8 to Cesar Chavez. The Warriors have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Desert Ridge's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-6. As for Westwood, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-3.
Everything went Desert Ridge's way against Westwood in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as Desert Ridge made off with a 34-12 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Westwood's Giordan Hanks, who rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries, and also threw for 145 yards on 17 of 24 attempts. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Desert Ridge to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
