You can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Murray's strategy against Juan Diego Catholic on Thursday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Spartans blew the Soaring Eagle out of the water with a 55-20 final score. The matchup was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Spartans had established a 21-point advantage.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Murray to victory, but perhaps none more so than Cruz Gardner, who rushed for 103 yards and two scores. The team also got some help courtesy of Roman Israyelyan, who rushed for 69 yards and one TD.
Spartans
| 10/09/25 @ Juan Diego Catholic | 252 |
| 09/19/25 @ East | 80 |
| 09/12/25 vs Cottonwood | 203 |
| 09/05/25 @ Jordan | 59 |
| 10/25/24 vs Snow Canyon | 71 |
| 10/16/24 vs Cottonwood | 297 |
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Murray was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 252 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 19 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Dax Jensen, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Oscar Rodriguez and Sione Vea certainly did their best on Thursday to avoid the loss. Rodriguez rushed for 91 yards and one touchdown on only 11 carries, while Vea rushed for 98 yards and a pair of scores.
Murray's record is now 5-3. As for Juan Diego Catholic, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-7.
Murray wasted no time getting back out on the field and has already played their next contest, a 45-17 defeat against Skyline on the 16th. As for Juan Diego Catholic, they have also already played their next game, a 45-34 loss against Richfield on the 16th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
