Sierra Grande is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Saturday. They will venture away from home to face off against the Mountain Valley Wolves at 1:00 p.m. Sierra Grande knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Mountain Valley likes a good challenge.
Sierra Grande is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their matchup two weeks ago with ease, bagging a 61-14 win over Kiowa. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 47-8.
Sierra Grande 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 Jadyn Martinez.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Mountain Valley, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They took down La Veta 26-12 on Saturday.
Sierra Grande better keep an eye on Tanner Shellabarger. He was instrumental in Mountain Valley's win, rushing for 117 yards and a pair of scores on only 12 carries, while also picking up 50 receiving yards and one TD.
Mountain Valley's run defense was locked in: La Veta could only muster 2.4 yards per carry. The team can thank Kyngston Taylor for the heroic effort on defense: he. Mountain Valley's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 4.9.
Mountain Valley's defense didn't let the opposing QB, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. In fact, those sacks all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Chase Shellabarger.
Mountain Valley's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-2. As for Sierra Grande, their record now sits at 3-1.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's contest: Sierra Grande has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 425.8 total yards per game. It's a different story for Mountain Valley, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 214.3 total yards. Will Sierra Grande be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will the Wolves flip the script?
Everything came up roses for Sierra Grande against Mountain Valley in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, as the team secured a 47-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
