After each having a week off, the McClintock Chargers and the Gilbert Tigers will dust off their jerseys to square off against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in McClintock's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.
Two weeks ago, everything came up roses for McClintock on the road against Skyline as the team secured a 54-21 win. Fans of the Chargers have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead McClintock to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jaxon Knutson, who threw for 292 yards and four touchdowns while completing 76% of his passes. Knutson is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last seven games he's played dating back to last season. Amari Scroggins was Knutson's top target, picking up 134 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Gilbert, who bounced back after a loss on the road back in September. They enjoyed a cozy 35-20 victory over Sunnyslope two weeks ago.
Zach Thompson was his usual excellent self, rushing for 319 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 8.9 yards per carry. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 115.8 rushing yards per game.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Gilbert was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 341 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 45.7 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last three matchups they've averaged 171.7.
McClintock pushed their record up to 6-0 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Gilbert, their victory ended a five-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 2-4.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: McClintock has been unstoppable in the air this season, having averaged 361.8 passing yards per game. It's a different story for Gilbert, though, as they've been averaging only 121.2. How will they fare against such a dominant passing game?
Everything came up roses for McClintock against Gilbert in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 34-7 win. Does McClintock have another victory up their sleeve, or will Gilbert turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
