Hayden hasn't had much luck against Williams recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Hayden Lobos will square off against the Williams Vikings at 4:00 p.m. Hayden is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Hayden is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arizona's top teams: Lincoln Prep, who was ranked eighth in their home state at the time (Hayden was ranked first). Hayden claimed a resounding 57-14 win over Lincoln Prep at home. Hayden's victory was all the more impressive since the Lightning were averaging only 16.6 points allowed on the season.
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Kino Lorona and he. Lorona rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 carries while he rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 carries. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, picking up a sack, making six total tackles, and making six total tackles. Matthew Armenta was another key player, rushing for 63 yards and a touchdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Hayden was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 268 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 226 rushing yards in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Williams, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They took their contest at home on Friday with ease, bagging a 60-6 win over Salome. The match marked the Vikings' most dominant victory of the season.
Williams got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Jacob Winchester out in front who rushed for 260 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.4 yards per carry. Winchester was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 60 yards. Williams also got a significant boost from Jack Dent, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 116 yards.
Williams' 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 Joshua Rue-Wilber and Mario Pedraza. What's more, Pedraza also racked up 40 rushing yards, the mosthe's had since back in September of 2023.
Hayden pushed their record up to 5-0 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. As for Williams, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Saturday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Lorona and Winchester. Lorona has put up some stellar numbers this year, and currently owns excellent season averages 107.2 rushing yards per game this season. For his part, Winchester has averaged 84.6 rushing yards per game this season.
Hayden lost to Williams on the road by a decisive 56-38 margin in their previous matchup back in November of 2022. Thankfully for Hayden, Drew Logan (who rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns, and also picked up 31 receiving yards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
