The Vanden Vikings will head out on the road to take on the Pioneer Patriots at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Vanden sitting on three straight victories and Pioneer on four.
Vanden's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. Everything went their way against Wood as they made off with a 26-0 win. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 229th, while the Wildcats are ranked 561st) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, Pioneer was able to grind out a solid victory over Rodriguez on Friday, taking the game 36-26.
Vanden better keep an eye on Joe Mendez. He was instrumental in Pioneer's win, rushing for 221 yards and one TD while picking up 8.2 yards per carry. With that strong performance, Mendez is now averaging an impressive 103.4 rushing yards per game.
Pioneer didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. Devion Corley picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Vanden's win bumped their record up to 7-2. As for Pioneer, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 7-2.
Everything came up roses for Vanden against Pioneer when the teams last played back in November of 2024, as the team secured a 41-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
