The Heritage Academy Heroes will take on the Tonopah Valley Phoenix at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Tonopah Valley took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Heritage Academy, who comes in off a win.
Heritage Academy took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They slipped by San Pasqual Valley 21-20. Given the Heroes' advantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 215th in Arizona, while the Warriors are ranked 1029th in California) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Preston Miller, who rushed for 144 yards and one TD on only 12 carries, and also threw for 83 yards and one touchdown. He really tore up the turf during one magnificent 70-yard run.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Heritage Academy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 227 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.
Heritage Academy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Kaelan Williams and Miller.
Meanwhile, Tonopah Valley didn't have quite enough to beat Glendale Prep Academy on Friday and fell 36-34.
Even if they lost, Tonopah Valley's defensive line still kept up the pressure with eight sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Corey Webb Jr. and Damian Acosta, who racked up 5.5 sacks between them. Acosta is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least five every time he's taken the field this season. Another thorn in Glendale Prep Academy's side was Alejandro Rivas, who forced one fumble and made ten total tackles (1.0 for loss).
Heritage Academy's victory was their first in the region, bumping their region record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 4-3. As for Tonopah Valley, their loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 2-5.
Heritage Academy was dealt a bruising 75-14 defeat at the hands of Tonopah Valley in their previous matchup back in November of 2022. Thankfully for the Heroes, Chace Logan (who threw for 386 yards and six TDs while picking up 14.3 yards per attempt) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
