Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only The Espanola Valley Sundevils walked away with it. They put the hurt on St. Pius X with a sharp 31-7 victory on Friday. Winning may never get old, but Espanola Valley sure are getting used to it with their seventh in a row.
Espanola Valley had a senior duo take command as Jack Purdy rushed for 220 yards and a touchdown while picking up 11.6 yards per carry and Adrick Deleon rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns. Deleon was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 57 yards.
Espanola Valley's win was their fifth straight at home , which pushed their record up to 8-3. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 1-9 Santa Fe Indian and 1-9 Gallup (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 27.3% over those games). As for St. Pius X, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 4-7.
Espanola Valley will head out on the road to face off against Lovington at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Lovington presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Espanola Valley in New Mexico (Lovington is ranked seventh, while Espanola Valley is ranked 42nd). St. Pius X does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
