Redlands East Valley hasn't had much luck against Beaumont recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. A feisty cat fight will be fought when Wildcats challenges the Beaumont Cougars at 7:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Redlands East Valley is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They lost 67-45 to Yucaipa on Thursday. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 579th, while the Thunderbirds are ranked 268th).
Redlands East Valley might have lost, but man, Isaac Vitela was a machine: he threw for 396 yards and five touchdowns, and also rushed for 75 yards on only eight carries. Redlands East Valley also got a significant boost from Nathen Lopez, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 107 yards.
Meanwhile, Beaumont waltzed into their match on Friday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They claimed a resounding 35-3 victory over the Blackhawks at home. Considering the Cougars have won four matchups by more than 28 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Beaumont to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jeremiah Duhu, who threw for 107 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown. Duhu was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 55 yards. Trashawn James-Reek was another key player, rushing for 118 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries.
Beaumont wouldn't let Citrus Valley keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Beaumont can thank Tyler Dyer and Gavin Jacobs for forcing both of them. Another thorn in Citrus Valley's side was Matthew Casas, who picked up a sack and made 19 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Beaumont was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 201 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 181 rushing yards in five consecutive contests.
This is the second loss in a row for Redlands East Valley and nudges their season record down to 1-7. As for Beaumont, they pushed their record up to 7-1 with the win, which was their third straight at home.
Thursday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Redlands East Valley has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 159.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Beaumont struggles in that department as they've been averaging 169.8. It's looking like Thursday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Redlands East Valley was dealt a bruising 56-12 loss at the hands of Beaumont in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. Thankfully for Redlands East Valley, Christopher Cooper (who threw for 201 yards and six touchdowns while completing 76.5% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
