The Laguna Acoma Hawks will head out to take on the Newcomb Skyhawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses apiece.
Last Friday, Laguna Acoma came up short against McCurdy and fell 41-30.
Laguna Acoma's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Ekahi Tiller, who rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns, and Derek Victorino Jr., who rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.3 yards per carry. Tiller also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, picking up two sacks, forcing a fumble, and making six total tackles. Cayden Chino was in the mix as well, providing Laguna Acoma with a touchdown.
Laguna Acoma wouldn't let McCurdy keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Laguna Acoma can thank Victorino Jr. and Tiller for forcing both of them. Victorino Jr.'s rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 109 rushing yards dating back to last season.
Even though they lost, Laguna Acoma was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 255 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 190 rushing yards in five consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Newcomb was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 41-36 to Hozho Academy. Even if the Skyhawks couldn't come away with the victory, the high-scoring effort was a great turnaround for their offense, which had struggled int the games prior.
Newcomb might have lost, but man, Kinjii Natonabah was a machine: he rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries, and also caught a touchdown. Those 82 rushing yards gave Natonabah a new career-high.
Laguna Acoma's defeat dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Newcomb, their loss dropped their record down to 4-3.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Laguna Acoma has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 213.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Newcomb struggles in that department as they've been averaging 239.7. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Laguna Acoma against Newcomb when the teams last played back in August of 2023, as the team secured a 40-6 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Laguna Acoma 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
