Gila Ridge can finally bid farewell to their seven-game losing streak dating back to last season thanks to their game on Friday. They blew past the Palo Verde Valley Yellow Jackets, posting a 49-14 win on the road. Given the Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 178th in Arizona, while the Yellow Jackets are ranked 781st in California), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Steven Navas was nothing short of spectacular: he threw for 289 yards and six touchdowns. The dominant performance gave him a new career- in total yards. Kanai Hongo helped Navas out on the ground, rushing for 124 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Gila Ridge was moving up and down the field and finished the game with 416 total yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Palo Verde Valley only gained 281.
When it comes to explaining why Palo Verde Valley lost, don't look at Kenneth Salazar. Despite the final result, he rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries. With that strong performance, Salazar is now averaging an impressive 128.7 rushing yards per game.
The victory got Gila Ridge back to even at 1-1. As for Palo Verde Valley, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 0-3.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Gila Ridge will head out to square off against Crismon at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Gila Ridge is facing Crismon at the right time seeing as Crismon is stuck on a three-game losing streak. As for Palo Verde Valley, they will take on Coachella Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
