Two dominant backs in Nick Formica and Malik Smith are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Wickenburg Wranglers will take on the Florence Gophers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Wickenburg will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
Wickenburg's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Kingman, posting a 28-0 victory. Considering the Wranglers have won five games by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Formica was his usual excellent self, rushing for 140 yards and a touchdown, while also catching a touchdown. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 140 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Florence beat ALA - Ironwood 30-25 on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Gophers.
It was another big night for Smith, who rushed for 301 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.4 yards per carry. Those 301 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Logan Stenson also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
Florence was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 364 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Florence wouldn't let ALA - Ironwood keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Florence can thank Kj Watts and Angel Gortariz Jr for forcing both of them.
Florence pushed their record up to 9-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 34.2 points per game. As for Wickenburg, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Wickenburg has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 175.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Florence struggles in that department as they've been averaging 272.6. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
