Valencia had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They won a contest that couldn't have been any closer, slipping by the Moriarty Pintos 35-34. This was payback for the Jaguars, who suffered a 40-12 defeat the last time these two teams met.
Michael Storms III was his usual excellent self, rushing for 192 yards and three touchdowns. His rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his seventh straight game with at least 128 rushing yards. Another player making a difference was Aidan Harrington, who rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns.
Valencia didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Santino Mares. He also set a new season high mark in total tackles with 25. Another thorn in Moriarty's side was Aiden Gonzalez, who picked up a sack and made ten total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Valencia was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 252 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 186 rushing yards in eight consecutive matchups.
Valencia is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 35.8 points per game. As for Moriarty, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-7 record this season.
Valencia is on the road again on Saturday to play Bloomfield at 1:00 p.m. Bloomfield will roll in looking for their tenth straight win, something Valencia surely won't give up without a fight. Moriarty does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
