Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only the Apple Valley Sun Devils walked away with it. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Hesperia 35-32. This was one game where the offenses had no trouble playing at a high level.
Leading Apple Valley to victory were Xavier Salazar and Zyron Belcher. Salazar rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries, while Belcher rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Noah Celie was another key contributor, punching in a rushing scores.
Despite the loss, Hesperia saw an underclassman step up: Da'lon Williams rushed for 272 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 11.3 yards per carry. Williams is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last four games he's played. Don Henry also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
The win (which was Apple Valley's third in a row) raised their record to 6-5. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 38.3 points per game. As for Hesperia, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-2.
Apple Valley will head out on the road to face off against Western at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Western's favor is that they have now posted big point totals in their last ten matches. Hesperia does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
