Football Preview: Tanque Verde Hawks vs. Bisbee Pumas
The Tanque Verde Hawks will take on the Bisbee Pumas at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 945 yards in their previous games.
Tanque Verde is headed into the game having just suffered their biggest loss since August 25, 2023 on Friday. They lost 41-20 to Willcox. The defeat continues a trend for the Hawks in their matchups with the Cowboys: they've now lost six in a row.
Meanwhile, Bisbee had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.3 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They blew past the Titans, posting a 47-20 victory on the road. The Pumas might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matchups by 26 points or more this season.
Bisbee's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Sebastian Lopez, who threw for 371 yards and five touchdowns while completing 73.1% of his passes, and also rushed for 47 yards. Hunter Wright was Lopez's top target, picking up 160 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Another reason for the win was Bisbee's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Spencer Anthony was especially locked on to Palo Verde's QB and sacked him twice. Anthony is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last 17 games he's played dating back to last season. Another thorn in Palo Verde's side was Cameron Anderson, who made 12 total tackles and snagged two interceptions.
Tanque Verde's loss dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Bisbee, they pushed their record up to 6-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Tanque Verde has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 182 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Bisbee struggles in that department as they've been averaging 229. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Tanque Verde strolled past Bisbee in their previous matchup back in October of 2023 by a score of 26-8. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Lopez, who rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Tanque Verde still be able to contain Lopez? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
