Football Recap: Connor Thatcher Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Maize South

Valley Center lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Maize South, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Friday's game. The Hornets blew past the Mavericks 35-14 on Friday. For the Hornets, this counts as revenge for the 10-7 win the Mavericks walked away with the last time they faced one another back in September of 2024.

Connor Thatcher

Passer Rating (Career)

09/19/25 @ Maize South	172.5
09/05/25 vs Eisenhower	121.3
10/11/24 @ Derby	103.2
09/12/25 vs Hutchinson	96.6
10/25/24 vs Haysville Campus	56.3

Valley Center's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Connor Thatcher led the charge by throwing for 291 yards and four touchdowns while completing 94.4% of his passes, and also punching in one score on the ground. The dominant performance also gave Thatcher a new career-high in passer rating (172.5). Valley Center's leading receiver Spencer Crumrine was Thatcher's top target yet again, picking up 157 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.

On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Valley Center's defense and their four sacks. Jace Schwartz was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself.

When it comes to explaining why Maize South lost, don't look at Stratten Ebers. Despite the final result, he picked up 103 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

Valley Center now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Maize South, their defeat was their first of the season and also makes their record 2-1.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Valley Center will face off against Andover Central at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Maize South, they will square off against Haysville Campus at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.