After two games on the road, Tonopah is heading back home. They will take on The Sandy Valley Sidewinders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, Tonopah faced Round Mountain in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Tonopah breezed by Round Mountain on the road to the tune of 62-24. 62 seems to be a good number for Tonopah as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.
Tonopah can attribute much of their success to Dustin Otteson, who gained 164 total yards and five touchdowns, and Drew Otteson, who threw for 257 yards and five touchdowns while completing 72.2% of his passes. Otteson hasn't dropped below three passing touchdowns for four straight games. Thomas Newell was another key contributor, picking up 146 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Round Mountain to a paltry 176 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Tonopah's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid him out six times before it was all said and done. Leading the way was Otteson and his three sacks.
Sandy Valley never got on the board in their matchup two weeks ago, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Beaver Dam last Thursday. Everything went their way against the Diamondback as they made off with a 40-16 victory.
Sandy Valley got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Deivi Pedraza out in front who rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries. Another player making a difference was Tage Colon, who rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.
Their wins bumped Tonopah to 7-2 and Sandy Valley to 6-3.
Everything came up roses for Tonopah against Sandy Valley in their previous matchup back in October of 2016 as the team secured a 69-28 win. Does Tonopah have another victory up their sleeve, or will Sandy Valley turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
