Football Game Preview: Apple Valley Sun Devils vs. Barstow Aztecs + How To Watch

Apple Valley is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Barstow is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Sun Devils will welcome the Aztecs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Apple Valley is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They strolled past Saugus with points to spare, taking the game 21-7.

Noah Hardeman

Rushing Yards (Career)

11/21/25 vs Saugus	164
11/14/25 @ Victor Valley	159
10/02/25 @ Hesperia	115
08/21/25 vs Orange Vista	90
10/23/25 vs Serrano	76

Apple Valley's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Noah Hardeman led the charge by rushing for 164 yards and one score. Those 164 rushing yards gave Hardeman a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaden Foster, who picked up 59 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Apple Valley proved: they limited Saugus to a paltry two yards per carry. The Sun Devils' run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 3.67 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 5.8 on average over their last five games.

Meanwhile, Barstow made easy work of Palm Springs on Friday and carried off a 28-7 victory. The Aztecs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matchups by 21 points or more this season.

Apple Valley better keep an eye on Nicholas Gaoa. He was instrumental in Barstow's win, rushing for 182 yards and three TDs while picking up 8.7 yards per carry. Gaoa has been hot for a while, having posted two or more rushing touchdowns the last ten times he's played.

On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Barstow's defense and their five sacks. Palm Springs' QB won't forget Iosefa Lealofi anytime soon given he sacked him twice. Barstow got some further help from Quentin Hunter: he picked up a sack and made six total tackles (5.5 for loss).

Barstow's win bumped their record up to 9-3. As for Apple Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 9-4.

Everything came up roses for Apple Valley against Barstow when the teams last played back in September of 2019, as the squad secured a 62-0 win. Do the Sun Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Aztecs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.