It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Walden Grove can now relate to. They took a 52-46 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Northwest Christian Crusaders on Friday. The defeat came about despite the Red Wolves having been up 22 in the third quarter.
Walden Grove's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Gauge Abalos, who threw for 188 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also rushed for 69 yards and one TD. Sebastian Gallardo helped out on the ground, rushing for 107 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Angel Armenta
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Walden Grove didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Wheeler Delancey, Angel Armenta, and Kylian Knight picked up one apiece. Armenta also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with 16. Paul Delgado was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 12 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Walden Grove, racking up 14 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Jordan Dobson, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
It was another big night for Laki Wallwork, who rushed for 136 yards and three scores while picking up 7.2 yards per carry, and also threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns for Northwest Christian. Those three rushing touchdowns gave Wallwork a new career-high. Conner Main was another key player, picking up 157 receiving yards and one TD.
Walden Grove moved to 7-4 with that defeat, which also ended their three-game winning streak. As for Northwest Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season.
Walden Grove does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Northwest Christian, they will square off against Mohave at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Thunderbirds' defense has only allowed 14.5 points per game this season, so the Crusaders' offense will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
