After each having a week off, the Gilbert Tigers and the McClintock Chargers will dust off their jerseys to take on one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Gilbert took a loss when they played away from home back in September, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed two weeks ago. They strolled past Sunnyslope with points to spare, taking the game 35-20.
Zach Thompson was his usual excellent self, rushing for 319 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 8.9 yards per carry. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 115.8 rushing yards per game.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Gilbert was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 341 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 45.7 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last three games they've averaged 171.7.
Meanwhile, McClintock put another one in the bag two weeks ago to keep their perfect season alive. They claimed a resounding 54-21 victory over Skyline on the road. Fans of the Chargers have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
McClintock got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Jaxon Knutson out in front who threw for 292 yards and four touchdowns while completing 76% of his passes. Knutson is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last seven games he's played dating back to last season. Amari Scroggins was Knutson's top target, picking up 134 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Gilbert's victory ended a five-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 2-4. As for McClintock, their win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-0.
Gilbert was taken down by McClintock 34-7 in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. Can Gilbert avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
