The Copper Canyon Aztecs will square off against the Deer Valley Skyhawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with five losses in a row, Copper Canyon finally turned things around against Maryvale on Friday. In a tight match that could have gone either way, they made off with a 27-26 victory over the Panthers.
Copper Canyon found their leader in underclassman Brooklen Ortiz, who threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns.
Copper Canyon didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Travonta Hadley, Donald Berry, and Nolan Huizar picked up one apiece. The dominant performance also gave Hadley a new career-high in rushing yards.
Meanwhile, Deer Valley put another one in the bag last Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Washington, posting a 42-3 win at home. Considering the Skyhawks have won five games by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Deer Valley can attribute much of their success to Tyler Lebaron, who threw for 165 yards and four touchdowns, and Adan Sanchez, who gained 84 total yards and two touchdowns. Another rusher making a difference was Marcus Johnson, who rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.
Deer Valley wouldn't let Washington keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. Deer Valley can thank Anthony Rosas and Carter Guggenberger for forcing all of them.
Copper Canyon's victory bumped their record up to 2-5. As for Deer Valley, their win was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-0.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Copper Canyon has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 177 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Deer Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 152.7. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Copper Canyon took a serious blow against Deer Valley in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, falling 41-2. Thankfully for Copper Canyon, Dylan English (who threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
