Maricopa was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They took a 20-14 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks. The Rams were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Nighthawks apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in October of 2023.
Despite the loss, Maricopa still got an impressive performance from Jose Cardona Jr, who rushed for 47 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 150 yards on 13 of 22 attempts. That's the most rushing yards Cardona Jr has posted since back in September of 2023.
Maricopa wouldn't let Ironwood Ridge keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Max Gambino was the leader in that area as all came courtesy of his dominant performance. He has been hot recently, having also posted five or more total tackles the last four times he's played.
Jaiden Martinez was his usual excellent self, rushing for 94 yards and a touchdown, while also throwing for 119 yards and a touchdown for Ironwood Ridge.
Maricopa now has a losing record at 4-5. As for Ironwood Ridge, the win (which was their seventh in a row) raised their record to 8-1.
Maricopa will be playing at home against Flowing Wells at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Flowing Wells is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 30.7 points per game this season. As for Ironwood Ridge, they will head out on the road to take on Mountain View at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Ironwood Ridge is looking to tack on another W to their three-game streak on the road.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
