Football Game Preview: Yucaipa Thunderbirds vs. Redlands East Valley Wildcats + How To Watch

Two dominant signal callers in Deace Turner and Vitela Isaac are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Yucaipa Thunderbirds will be playing at home against the Redlands East Valley Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Yucaipa is headed into Friday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight games on Friday. They took a blow against Beaumont, falling 57-10. While losing is never fun, the Thunderbirds can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 356th, while the Cougars are ranked 42nd).

Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Redlands East Valley's offense. They were outmatched by Cajon and fell 54-0. The defeat continues a trend for the Wildcats in their meetings with the Cowboys: they've now lost nine in a row.

Yucaipa's loss dropped their record down to 2-6. As for Redlands East Valley, their defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 5-3.

Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Yucaipa has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 175 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Redlands East Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 197.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.

Yucaipa took their victory against Redlands East Valley in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 by a conclusive 67-45 score. Will the Thunderbirds repeat their success, or do the Wildcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.