The Mancos Bluejays will head out on the road to face off against the Norwood Mavericks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Mancos is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Colorado's top teams: Sanford, who was ranked fifth at the time (Mancos was ranked 11th). The Bluejays had to suffer through a 42-14 loss at the hands of the Mustangs. The Bluejays were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 28-8.
Meanwhile, Norwood was fully in charge on Friday, breezing past Sargent 58-12. That 46 point margin sets a new team best for the Mavericks this season.
One reason for the win was Norwood's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Colton Kepley, Jacob Davis, and Austin Garvey, who each picked up one sack apiece. Holten McCluer got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Norwood is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 44.5 points over those games. As for Mancos, they moved to 5-2 with that defeat, which also ended their four-game winning streak.
Thursday's contest might be decided on the ground. Mancos has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 229.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Norwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 224.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Mancos against Norwood in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 46-16 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bluejays since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
