St. Joseph and Arroyo Grande are an even 5-5 against one another since September of 2015, but not for long. The Knights will welcome the Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Arroyo Grande will be up against a hot St. Joseph squad: the team just extended their winning streak to seven. The Knights took their contest on Friday with ease, bagging a 55-6 win over Paso Robles. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 94th, while the Bearcats are ranked 366th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Grayson Gaines
| 10/10/25 vs Paso Robles | 209 |
| 09/04/25 @ Hanford | 173 |
| 09/19/25 vs Centennial | 158 |
| 08/29/25 @ Edison | 153 |
| 10/03/25 @ Mission College Prep | 137 |
It was another big night for Grayson Gaines, who rushed for 209 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 10.5 yards per carry, and also picked up 53 receiving yards. Those 209 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jack Heaslet, who threw for 226 yards and one TD on only 18 passes.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: St. Joseph was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 271 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Arroyo Grande won against Paso Robles last Friday with 56 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. The Eagles simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Lompoc 56-10. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 42-10.
Arroyo Grande's win came from a few key players St. Joseph will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Zack Tayman, who rushed for 74 yards and one score on only seven carries. Caleb Clark was another key player, gaining 24 total yards and three touchdowns.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Arroyo Grande, racking up 26 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Copeland Hartford, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown. Another bright spot was a punt return touchdown from Clark.
St. Joseph's victory bumped their record up to 7-1. As for Arroyo Grande, the win got them back to even at 4-4.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. St. Joseph has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 209.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Arroyo Grande struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 268.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
St. Joseph ended up a good deal behind Arroyo Grande in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, losing 21-6. Will the Knights have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
