The Sabino Sabercats will head out on the road to challenge the Florence Gophers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
The home team had come away the winner the last four times Sabino and Pusch Ridge Christian Academy had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Sabercats received a blow last Friday as they fell 27-8 to the Lions.
Even if they lost, Sabino's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: Gabe Warren and Shaundon Harris, who each picked up 0.5 sacks apiece.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Florence). They took down Shadow Mountain 30-12 on Friday. The Gophers pushed the score to 30-6 by the end of the third, a deficit the Matadors cut but never quite recovered from.
Florence's win came from a few key players Sabino will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Brody Ramirez, who rushed for 96 yards on only six carries, and also threw for 207 yards on only 14 passes. Victor Juarez was another key player, rushing for 61 yards and one TD.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Florence proved: they limited Shadow Mountain to a paltry -1.2 yards per carry. The team can thank Soldier Blouir for the heroic effort on defense: he. Florence's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 2.53 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 5.77 on average over their last five games.
Florence didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Wyatt Stenson and Blouir. Florence got some further help from Philip Florez: he picked up two sacks and made five total tackles.
The win made it two in a row for Florence and bumps their season record up to 3-4. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 28.5 points over those games. As for Sabino, they now also have a losing record of 3-4.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Sabino has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 150.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Florence struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 155.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
