The Simi Valley Pioneers are taking a road trip to take on the Pacifica Tritons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Simi Valley is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 54 points last Friday, they were much more limited against Bishop Diego on Friday. They took a 24-12 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Cardinals. While the Pioneers had to settle for second, they closed the game well in the third quarter, where they outscored the Cardinals 6-0.
Although Simi Valley took the loss, they still got scores from Jayden Clarke and James Scida.
Simi Valley didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Scida and Ryan Schlundt Bodien. Izak Simpson was another major factor on D, making 12 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Pacifica strolled into their game on Friday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They put the hurt on Camarillo with a sharp 42-16 win. The Tritons' offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.
Simi Valley better keep an eye on Taylor Lee. He was instrumental in Pacifica's win, throwing for 170 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 33 yards and one score. Another player making a difference was Angel Sepulveda, who rushed for 67 yards and one TD on only eight carries.
Pacifica's run defense was locked in: Camarillo could only muster 1.6 yards per carry. The team can thank PeeWee Wilson for the heroic effort on defense: he. Pacifica didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 6.1.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Pacifica, racking up 12 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Tyler Stewart, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Pacifica's record now sits at 8-0. As for Simi Valley, they dropped their record down to 3-5 with the loss, which was their fourth straight on the road.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Simi Valley has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 155.2 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Pacifica has preferred to attack from the air: they average 266.9 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Simi Valley took a serious blow against Pacifica when the teams last played back in October of 2024, falling 28-0. Can the Pioneers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
