The Mica Mountain Thunderbolts will head out to take on the Walden Grove Red Wolves at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Mica Mountain's defense has only allowed 8.3 points per game this season, so Walden Grove's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Mica Mountain's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They claimed a resounding 40-0 win over Douglas. That 40 point margin sets a new team best for the Thunderbolts this season.
Colin Axford
| 10/03/25 vs Douglas | 67 |
| 09/26/25 vs Sahuarita | 50 |
| 09/05/25 @ Canyon del Oro | 41 |
| 09/12/25 @ ALA - West Foothills | 29 |
| 08/28/25 vs Poston Butte | 27 |
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Jeremiah Anderson and Colin Axford. Anderson rushed for 72 yards and one score on only eight carries while Axford rushed for 67 yards and one touchdown on only eight carries. Those 67 rushing yards gave Axford a new career-high.
Mica Mountain's run defense was locked in: Douglas could only muster 1.9 yards per carry. The team can thank Nic Regina for the heroic effort on defense: he. Mica Mountain's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.6 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 5.83 on average over their last five games.
Mica Mountain didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Elijia Mangrum and Riley Carson. Carson got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Walden Grove had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They came out on top against the Cougars by a score of 25-15. The victory almost wasn't to be: the Red Wolves were down 15-0 in the second quarter.
Walden Grove's win came from a few key players Mica Mountain will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Sebastian Gallardo, who rushed for 112 yards. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 101 rushing yards per game.
Mica Mountain's record now sits at 4-2. As for Walden Grove, their record is now an identical 4-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Mica Mountain has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 158.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Walden Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 181.3 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Mica Mountain beat Walden Grove 16-6 when the teams last played back in November of 2024. Do the Thunderbolts have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Red Wolves turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
