Tempe hasn't had much luck against Marcos de Niza recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Buffaloes will venture away from home to face off against the Padres at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Tempe had to skate by with only a two-point margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 27-point drubbing they dealt Glendale on Friday. The Buffaloes blew past the Cardinals 41-14. Considering the Buffaloes have won four games by more than 26 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Saul Mendez
| 10/10/25 vs Moon Valley | 137.2 |
| 09/05/25 @ Carl Hayden Community | 132.9 |
| 10/24/25 vs Glendale | 131.2 |
| 08/29/25 vs Alhambra | 108.3 |
| 10/17/25 @ Independence | 104.3 |
| + 4 more games |
Saul Mendez continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 405 yards and five TDs, while also punching in one rushing score. His passing game has become a key predictor of Tempe's success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 1-3 otherwise. Jonathan Washington did his part for the team as well, scoring a TD off of 51 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Marcos de Niza waltzed into their contest on Friday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They strolled past the Demons with points to spare, taking the game 49-34.
Tempe better keep an eye on Jaeden Lott. He was instrumental in Marcos de Niza's win, throwing for 271 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. They also got a significant boost from Demetrius Davis, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 101 yards.
Marcos de Niza was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 270 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in August.
Marcos de Niza's defensive line made their presence known, laying out Manny Walker five times. The heavy lifting was done by Nikolasi Tongauiha and Elian Pichardo, who racked up four sacks between them. Tongauiha has been hot, having also posted seven or more total tackles the last six times he's played. Another thorn in Greenway's side was Gabe Andrade, who picked up a sack and made nine total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Tempe's record now sits at 6-3. As for Marcos de Niza, their record is now 8-1.
Thursday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Mendez and Lott. Mendez just won't slow down this season and has thrown 25 touchdowns while averaging 224.8 passing yards per game. Lott has been a dominant force too and has thrown 27 touchdowns while averaging 245.8 passing yards per game.
Tempe took a serious blow against Marcos de Niza in their previous meeting back in October of 2020, falling 48-6. Can the Buffaloes avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
