Football Preview: Fort Thomas Apaches vs. Ray Bearcats
Fort Thomas hasn't had much luck against Ray recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Fort Thomas Apaches are taking a road trip to challenge the Ray Bearcats at 7:00 p.m.
Fort Thomas is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arizona's top teams: Superior, who was ranked 13th in their home state at the time (Fort Thomas was ranked 21st). Fort Thomas was dealt a 50-22 loss at the hands of Superior on Friday. The Apaches' defeat continues a trend for the team, making it three in a row.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Ray, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They enjoyed a cozy 40-22 win over Baboquivari on Friday. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Bearcats considering their six-point performance the match before.
Jesse James went supernova for Ray, rushing for 148 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries, while also throwing for 150 yards and a touchdown. James' longest rush was for an impressive 63 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Chase Chester also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
Ray's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Chester, Seth Wade, and Wade picked up one apiece. What's more, Chris Curiel also racked up 14 rushing yards, the mosthe's had since back in September of 2023. Caden Kenney was another major factor on D, picking up two sacks and making four total tackles.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Ray was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 278 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Fort Thomas now has a losing record at 2-3. As for Ray, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 2-3.
Fort Thomas was taken down by Ray 70-14 in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Ray's Jason Day, who rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries, and also threw for 179 yards and three touchdowns. Now that Fort Thomas knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
