Two dominant signal callers in Michael Anguiano and Jaeden Lott are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Glendale Cardinals will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Marcos de Niza Padres at 7:00 p.m.
Glendale is likely headed into the matchup with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Greenway on Friday. The Cardinals fell 27-23 to the Demons. The Cardinals have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite the loss, Glendale had strong showings from Santiago Navarrette, who picked up 152 receiving yards and one TD, and Bryce Jones, who picked up 43 receiving yards and one score. Navarrette also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making seven total tackles and defending one pass.
Even if they lost, Glendale's defense still kept up the pressure with four sacks. That dominant display was truly a team effort as four different players picked up one apiece. Another thorn in Greenway's side was Matthew Najera, who picked up a sack, forced two fumbles, and made nine total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Marcos de Niza). They blew past Independence, posting a 54-7 victory. The result was nothing new for the Padres, who have now won four games by 23 points or more so far this season.
Glendale better keep an eye on Demetrius Davis. He was instrumental in Marcos de Niza's win, rushing for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 13 carries. That's the most rushing yards Davis has posted since back in September of 2024.
Marcos de Niza was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 261 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Independence only rushed for 85.
Marcos de Niza didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Keilor Hemmings and Carlos Abeyta. Nikolasi Tongauiha was another major factor on D, picking up two sacks and making 11 total tackles (5.0 for loss).
The win made it two in a row for Marcos de Niza and bumps their season record up to 6-1. The victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 15 points in those games. As for Glendale, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.
