Barstow extended their winning streak to five on Thursday, bumping them up to 5-3. They put the hurt on the Granite Hills Cougars with a sharp 50-24 victory. The Aztecs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by 26 points or more this season.
It was another big night for Nicholas Gaoa, who rushed for 225 yards and three scores while picking up 11.3 yards per carry. He was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 65 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Jarvis (JJ) Applewhite, who threw for 128 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 77.8% of his passes.
Aztecs
| 10/23/25 vs Granite Hills | 319 |
| 10/17/25 vs Silverado | 311 |
| 10/03/25 @ Victor Valley | 251 |
| 09/19/25 @ Burroughs | 111 |
| 09/05/25 @ Segerstrom | 219 |
| + 4 more games |
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Barstow was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 319 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2024.
Another reason for the win was Barstow's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Leading the way was Chevy Sauer with two. Barstow got some further help from Quentin Hunter: he picked up a sack and made ten total tackles (4.0 for loss).
As for Granite Hills, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost four of their last five matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-5 record this season. While losing is never fun, they can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 503rd, while Barstow is ranked 228th).
When it comes to explaining why Granite Hills lost, don't look at Aamir Sneed. Despite the final result, he rushed for 142 yards and one touchdown, and also threw for 155 yards and one TD. The Cougars are 3-1 when Sneed posts 80 or more rushing yards, but 1-4 otherwise.
Barstow didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, a 29-0 win against Adelanto on the 31st. As for Granite Hills, they also wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next game, a 27-24 loss against Silverado on the 30th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
