Pima and Morenci are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2016, but not for long. The Roughriders will be playing in front of their home fans against the Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Pima's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They took their game with ease, bagging a 42-0 victory over Globe. The win continues a trend for the Roughriders in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won four in a row.
Joe Palmer
| 10/03/25 @ Globe | 82 |
| 09/26/25 vs Miami | 68 |
| 10/04/24 @ ALA - Anthem South | 46 |
| 08/29/25 @ Tuba City | 43 |
| 11/30/24 vs Scottsdale Christian Academy | 43 |
Pima's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Joe Palmer led the charge by rushing for 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only five carries. Those 82 rushing yards gave Palmer a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Rooster Alder, who rushed for 130 yards and one TD on only 14 carries.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Pima was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 294 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Morenci). They breezed past Miami to the tune of 52-0 on Friday. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Wildcats just coasted through the last quarter.
Morenci had a senior duo take command as Julien Aragon gained 135 total yards and three touchdowns and Derick Lytle rushed for 86 yards and a pair of scores.
Morenci didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Jaymz Guzzo, Aundre Mccauley, and Jacob Bracamonte picked up one apiece. Guzzo has become a key player for Morenci: the team is undefeated when he posts at least one interception, but 1-2 otherwise.
Pima's victory bumped their record up to 3-4. As for Morenci, their win bumped their record up to 5-2.
Pima didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Morenci in their previous meeting back in September of 2024, but they still walked away with a 20-14 victory. Do the Roughriders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
