Football Recap: University Prep Comes Up Short + How To Watch

If University Prep was riding high fresh off their 32-6 takedown of Anderson last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Panthers came up short against the West Valley Eagles on Saturday, falling 34-14. The Panthers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Eagles apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in November of 2024.

Despite the defeat, University Prep saw an underclassman step up: freshman Talis Payne rushed for 67 yards and one score on only nine carries, and also threw for 124 yards on 11 of 21 attempts.

Leading West Valley to victory were Cleighton Smith and Kale Springer. Smith rushed for 172 yards and one TD while picking up 9.1 yards per carry, while Springer rushed for 48 yards and three touchdowns. Those three rushing touchdowns gave Springer a new career-high.

University Prep's loss dropped their record down to 3-6. As for West Valley, they pushed their record up to 6-3 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season.

We've got plenty of inter-league action coming up soon. University Prep will square off against rival Yreka at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. That matchup will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Payne and Jerome Walker. Meanwhile, West Valley is set to face off against their familiar foe Anderson at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.