Volcano Vista has played every game this season on their home field, but they'll have to hit the road on Friday. They will hit the road for the first time this season to challenge the West Mesa Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Volcano Vista is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Sandia, who was ranked 24th in their home state at the time (Volcano Vista was ranked fourth). Volcano Vista was the clear victor by a 28-6 margin over Sandia on Friday.
Volcano Vista's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ilijah Hansen, who rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries, and also threw for 70 yards and a touchdown. Mason Gurule handled things on the ground, rushing for 102 yards.
Gurule wasn't the only one working in the rushing yards department: Volcano Vista was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 300 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sandia only rushed for 60.
Meanwhile, West Mesa beat Mayfield 41-33 last Saturday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Mustangs.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead West Mesa to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ronnie Gilletti, who picked up 40 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries. Dominic Lucero was another key player, throwing for 210 yards and four touchdowns on only 16 passes.
West Mesa's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Eric Mcafee, Sajon Thompson, and Gilletti picked up one apiece. Joesph Garcia was another major factor on D, forcing a fumble and making ten total tackles (1.0 for loss).
Volcano Vista now has a winning record of 2-1. As for West Mesa, their record now sits at 2-0.
Volcano Vista strolled past West Mesa in their previous matchup back in August of 2023 by a score of 29-14. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was West Mesa's Elijah Brody, who rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 72 yards and a touchdown. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Volcano Vista to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
