The Sanford Mustangs will head out to take on the Dove Creek Bulldogs at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, Sanford humbled Dolores with a 51-17 victory.
Trason Gartrell was his usual excellent self, rushing for 140 yards and a touchdown, while also throwing for 131 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 passes. Another player making a difference was Kaden Cary, who gained 76 total yards and two touchdowns.
Sanford was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 276 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 221 rushing yards in five consecutive matches.
Sanford didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of William Malouff and Gartrell.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Dove Creek). They blew past Sargent, posting a 60-8 victory. Winning may never get old, but the Bulldogs sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Dove Creek's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Teagan Larimore, who rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught a touchdown. Josh Kibel was another key player, rushing for 76 yards on only seven carries.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Dove Creek's defense and their four sacks. Trevan Ivie was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up threehimself.
Sanford has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season. As for Dove Creek, their victory bumped their record up to 7-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Sanford has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 233.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Dove Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging 257.1. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Sanford couldn't quite finish off Dove Creek in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 and fell 30-28. Thankfully for Sanford, Gage Buffington (who rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.1 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
