Two dominant backs in Carlos Toscano and Isaiah Hargrove are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Greenway Demons will challenge the Youngker Roughriders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Greenway is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They were the clear victor by a 41-21 margin over Carl Hayden Community last Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Demons, who have now won three games by 20 points or more so far this season.
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Corey Guerrero and Toscano. Guerrero gained 153 total yards and three touchdowns while Toscano rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.9 yards per carry. The dominant performance also gave Guerrero a new career-high in rushing yards (123). Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Talen Pendarvis, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Youngker, who bounced back after a loss on the road back in October. They walked away with a 33-20 victory over Glendale on Friday.
Hargrove was his usual excellent self, rushing for 166 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 101.9 rushing yards per game. Another player making a difference was Jairis Shaw, who picked up 106 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Another reason for the win was Youngker's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. In fact, those sacks all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Robert Calvin. He has become a key player for Youngker: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two sacks, but 2-4 otherwise.
Youngker was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 237 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Glendale only rushed for 124.
Youngker's record now sits at 4-5. As for Greenway, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 3-6.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Greenway has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 168.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Youngker struggles in that department as they've been averaging 198.2. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Greenway suffered a grim 59-33 defeat to Youngker in their previous meeting back in November of 2023. Thankfully for Greenway, Jantzen Ginger (who rushed for 303 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 8.4 yards per carry, and also caught a touchdown) 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
