The Rocky Ford Meloneers will square off against the Walsenburg Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Rocky Ford is headed into Friday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their 11th straight game dating back to last season last Friday. They were outmatched by Front Range Christian on the road and fell 58-26.
Rocky Ford wouldn't let Front Range Christian keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Cayson Vandyk, Isaiah Gallegos, and Jake Baca picked up one apiece. The dominant performance gave Gallegos a new career-high in rushing yards.
Meanwhile, Walsenburg got themselves on the board against Questa on Friday, but Questa never followed suit. They blew past the Wildcats, posting a 40-0 victory on the road. Walsenburg's win was all the more impressive since the Wildcats were averaging only 16 points allowed on the season.
Walsenburg's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Giovanni Aldretti led the charge by rushing for 130 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.1 yards per carry, and also catching a touchdown. Aldretti's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 130 rushing yards dating back to last season. Taylor Torres was another key back, gaining 80 total yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Walsenburg was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 258 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 152 rushing yards in four consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Walsenburg's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB three times. Xavier Lopez was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two sackshimself.
Rocky Ford's loss dropped their record down to 0-2. As for Walsenburg, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
Rocky Ford took their victory against Walsenburg when the teams last played back in November of 2019 by a conclusive 26-0. Does Rocky Ford have another victory up their sleeve, or will Walsenburg turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
