The Cheyenne Mountain Red-Tailed Hawks will venture away from home to challenge the Grand Junction Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Cheyenne Mountain's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last seven contests.
Cheyenne Mountain is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Thornton: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Red-Tailed Hawks blew the Trojans out of the water with a 63-13 final score. The Red-Tailed Hawks haven't had any issues with the Trojans recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Sam Hawker produced another solid effort rushing for 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Cheyenne Mountain was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 273 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 226 rushing yards in nine consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Grand Junction didn't have too much trouble with Centaurus on Friday as they won 31-14.
Grand Junction's win came from a few key players Cheyenne Mountain will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Matthais Martinez-Santana, who rushed for 132 yards and two scores on only 15 carries. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in October of 2024. Grand Junction also got help from Paxton Webber, who showed off his sure hands for 94 receiving yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Grand Junction's defense and their seven sacks. Eduardo Reyes was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up three himself. Grand Junction got some further help from A.J. Schlachter: he made ten total tackles and defended three passes in addition to snagging an interception.
Cheyenne Mountain's record now sits at 7-1. As for Grand Junction, their record is now 6-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Cheyenne Mountain has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 322.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Grand Junction struggles in that department as they've been averaging 170.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Cheyenne Mountain ended up a good deal behind Grand Junction in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, losing 32-15. Can the Red-Tailed Hawks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
