The Gilbert Indians will head out on the road to challenge the Midland Valley Mustangs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
On Friday, Gilbert didn't have quite enough to beat South Aiken and fell 17-14.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Midland Valley). They claimed a resounding 63-26 win over Airport. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 36th, while the Eagles are ranked 189th) , the win on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Midland Valley found their leader in sophomore Preston Smith, who rushed for 334 yards and five scores while picking up 19.6 yards per carry. Those 334 rushing yards set a new season-high mark for Smith. Another player making a difference was Xavier Geter, who rushed for 20 yards and one TD.
Midland Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 412 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since the start of last season.
Midland Valley's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 39.3 points over those games. As for Gilbert, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 2-4 record this season.
Gilbert was able to grind out a solid victory over Midland Valley when the teams last played back in October of 2024, winning 35-28. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Mustangs' Preston Mcnair, who rushed for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only nine carries. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Indians to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
