Ponderosa had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They blew past the Grand Junction Tigers 42-14 on Saturday. Considering the Mustangs have won five contests by more than 27 points this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
It was another big night for De'Alcapon Veazy, who rushed for 169 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.9 yards per carry. His rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 112 rushing yards. Max Mervin also helped out with an impressive 93 receiving yards.
Ponderosa was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 293 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 157 rushing yards in ten consecutive matches.
One reason for the win was Ponderosa's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. Ryan Tongren was especially locked on to Grand Junction's QB and sacked him twice. Another thorn in Grand Junction's side was Caden Miller, who made 15 total tackles and defended a pass.
Despite the loss, Grand Junction still got an impressive performance from Will Applegate, who rushed for 37 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 117 yards on 14 of 21 attempts.
Ponderosa has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 39.8 points per game. As for Grand Junction, the loss snapped their winning streak at six games and leaves them with a 10-2 record.
Ponderosa will head out to face off against Dakota Ridge at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Dakota Ridge will roll in looking for their 11th straight win, something Ponderosa surely won't give up without a fight. Grand Junction does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
