The Marcos de Niza Padres will take on the Independence Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
As a matter of fact, Marcos de Niza put up the most points they have all season on Friday. They blew past Moon Valley 49-8. The Padres haven't had any issues with the Rockets recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Jaeden Lott continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 225 yards and four touchdowns on only 18 passes, while also rushing for 37 yards.
Brian Irick
| 10/03/25 @ Moon Valley | 10 |
| 09/26/25 vs Snowflake | 8 |
| 09/19/25 @ Poston Butte | 15 |
| 09/12/25 @ McClintock | 5 |
| 09/05/25 @ Mesquite | 11 |
| + 8 more games |
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Marcos de Niza's defense and their seven sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Brian Irick and Elian Pichardo, who racked up four sacks between them. Irick has been hot for a while, having also posted five or more total tackles the last 13 times he's played. Nikolasi Tongauiha was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making ten total tackles (4.0 for loss).
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times Independence and Glendale have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Thursday. The Patriots sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 42-39 win over the Cardinals.
Marcos de Niza better keep an eye on Thomas Kpakra. He was instrumental in Independence's win, rushing for 163 yards and a pair of scores on only 15 carries. Kpakra really tore up the turf during one magnificent 80-yard run. Another player making a difference was Daniel Rodriguez, who gained 122 total yards and two touchdowns.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Independence was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 228 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Glendale only rushed for 28.
Independence didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Kesean Wright and Malik Johnson. Independence got some further help from Anthony Perdomo: he picked up 2.5 sacks and made seven total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Marcos de Niza's victory bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Independence, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-5.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: Marcos de Niza has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 437.8 total yards per game. It's a different story for Independence, though, as they've been averaging only 230.3 total yards. Will Marcos de Niza be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will the Patriots flip the script? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
