Football Game Preview: Sand Creek Scorpions vs. Grand Junction Tigers + How To Watch

Sand Creek has won eight straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Grand Junction has won eight straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. The Scorpions will welcome the Tigers at 7:00 p.m. One thing working in Sand Creek's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.

On Friday, Sand Creek made easy work of Centaurus and carried off a 60-38 win. The result was nothing new for the Scorpions, who have now won six contests by 22 points or more so far this season.

Ethan Mangrum

Rushing Yards

10/24/25 @ Centaurus	280
10/17/25 vs Gateway	276
10/10/25 @ Cheyenne Mountain	215
10/03/25 vs Thornton	199
09/26/25 vs Palmer	139
+ 12 more games

Ethan Mangrum had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 280 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 9.3 yards per carry. His rushing production has been exceptional for a while as that marked his 17th straight game with at least 100 rushing yards dating back to last season. Achilles Evans was another key back, rushing for 94 yards and one score on only 11 carries.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Sand Creek was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 620 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Grand Junction was able to grind out a solid victory over Cheyenne Mountain on Friday, taking the game 43-35.

Grand Junction's win came from a few key players Sand Creek will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Paxton Webber, who picked up 133 receiving yards and one TD, and also threw for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He got the majority of those receiving yards when he pulled down a pass and took off for a gain of 74 yards. Another back making a difference was Matthais Martinez-Santana, who rushed for 67 yards and three scores.

Sand Creek's win bumped their record up to 9-0. As for Grand Junction, their victory bumped their record up to 7-2.

Thursday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Mangrum and Martinez-Santana. Mangrum just won't slow down this season and has run in 29 touchdowns while averaging 206.6 rushing yards per game. Martinez-Santana has been a dominant force too and has run in 10 touchdowns while averaging 91.4 rushing yards per game.

Sand Creek took a serious blow against Grand Junction in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, falling 34-6. Will the Scorpions have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.