Football Preview: Kiowa Indians vs. Deer Trail Eagles
The Kiowa Indians will head out on the road to take on the Deer Trail Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Kiowa has given up an average of 43.9 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
On Friday, Kiowa ended up a good deal behind Manzanola and lost 32-14.
Meanwhile, Deer Trail waltzed into their game on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They claimed a resounding 67-37 victory over the Wolverines. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won three matchups by 30 points or more so far this season.
A big part of Deer Trail's win came down to the chemistry between Chris Manriquez-Bustamante and his top target Jayden Mingee. Manriquez-Bustamante threw for 154 yards and three TDs while Mingee picked up 105 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. Mingee also hauled in two receiving touchdowns, which is notable because Deer Trail is 2-1 when he posts at least two receiving touchdowns, but 2-3 otherwise.
Deer Trail was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 319 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 151 rushing yards in four consecutive contests.
Deer Trail didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Preston Bertram and Mingee. Deer Trail received some extra help from Mursal Hussein, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Kiowa has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-5 record this season. Those defeats can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 28.5 points over those games. As for Deer Trail, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
Kiowa beat Deer Trail 28-19 when the teams last played back in October of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Indians since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps