The Palo Verde Panthers will face off against the Green Valley Gators at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
Palo Verde is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They lost 49-28 to Shadow Ridge on Friday. The Panthers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 28-7.
Even though they lost, Palo Verde was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 211 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2023.
Meanwhile, Green Valley faced Legacy in a battle between two of the state's top teams last Friday. Green Valley narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Legacy 38-35. That looming 38-35 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Gators yet this season.
Green Valley found their leader in underclassman Michael Lewis, who threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 passes.
Green Valley's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Esteban Martinez and John Mancuso.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Green Valley, racking up 12 points in total. All came courtesy of Dax Arnold: he went 3-for-3 kicking field goals for nine points, and 3-for-3 again kicking extra points for an additional three.
Palo Verde dropped their record down to 1-4 with the defeat, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Green Valley, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 3-1.
Palo Verde won a game that couldn't have been any closer when the teams last played back in September of 2021, slipping by Green Valley 21-20. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Green Valley's Jaylen Mcknight, who rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.8 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Palo Verde to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
