Alice proved they can win big last Friday (they won by 25) but on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged the Mission Veterans Memorial Patriots out 26-23. Winning may never get old, but the Coyotes sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Alice found their leader in sophomore Ryder Salaiz, who rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries. Those 133 rushing yards set a new season-high mark for Salaiz.
Salaiz was just one part of a punishing run game: Alice was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 301 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2023.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Alice's defense and their five sacks. In that department, Jesse Villarreal was the leader with three. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last eight games he's played. Alice got some further help from Jaren Guerra: he picked up a sack, made six total tackles (4.0 for loss), and defended a pass.
Several Patriots players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jordan Rodriguez, who picked up 120 receiving yards and a touchdown. Roman Reyna also helped out by tossing the rock for 276 yards.
Alice pushed their record up to 6-3 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. As for Mission Veterans Memorial, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 1-7.
Coincidentally, both will both be playing Roma the next time they take the field. Mission Veterans Memorial will head out to face Roma at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, while Alice will host them at 7:30 p.m. on November 8th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
