Football Preview: Derby Panthers vs. Valley Center Hornets
The Derby Panthers will challenge the Valley Center Hornets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Derby will be looking to keep their eight-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.
Derby's offense will try to repeat the strong performance it gave on Friday, when they got past Hutchinson's usually-dominant defense. Derby simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Hutchinson 36-3 on the road. Fans of the Panthers have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Derby can attribute much of their success to Drew Kemp, who rushed for 71 yards and two touchdowns, and Arieus Finley, who rushed for 166 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.2 yards per carry. With that strong performance, Finley is now averaging an impressive 111 rushing yards per game.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Derby was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 264 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 177 rushing yards in six consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Derby wouldn't let Hutchinson keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Derby can thank Braesyn Williams and Dylan Karel for forcing both of them.
Meanwhile, Valley Center came into Friday's matchup having lost six straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. Their defense stepped up to hand South a 21-0 shutout on Friday. The Hornets' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Valley Center's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Rylan Bailey, who rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown. Those 138 rushing yards gave Bailey a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Connor Meyer, who rushed for 40 yards and a touchdown.
Valley Center's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB seven times. South's QB won't forget Bryson Saner anytime soon given he sacked him 3.5 times. Another thorn in South's side was Drake Thornton, who picked up a sack and made six total tackles (2.5 for loss).
Derby's victory bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Valley Center, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-4.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Derby has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 241.2 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Valley Center, though, as they've been averaging only 95.8. How will they fare against such a dominant running game? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
