The Rio Americano Raiders will square off against the Woodcreek Timberwolves at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Rio Americano sitting on three straight victories and Woodcreek on four.
Rio Americano will bounce into Friday's matchup after beating Vista del Lago, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. The Raiders were the clear victors by a 28-8 margin over the Eagles on Friday. Considering the Raiders have won three contests by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Raymar Griffith
| 09/12/25 @ Cordova | 112 |
| 09/05/25 @ Del Campo | 107 |
| 09/19/25 vs Vista del Lago | 94 |
| 08/22/25 @ Granite Bay | 40 |
| 08/29/25 vs Jesuit | 34 |
Rio Americano had a senior duo take command as Devin Pointes gained 108 total yards and two touchdowns and Ryder Trantham threw for 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Pointes was no stranger to the big play, cutting upfield on a catch that went for 62 yards. Raymar Griffith handled things on the ground, rushing for 94 yards.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Rio Americano proved: they limited Vista del Lago to a paltry 0.7 yards per carry. The Raiders hasn't allowed more than 4.7 yards per carry in three consecutive games.
While Woodcreek didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-7), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They strolled past Ponderosa with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 24-7. Given the Timberwolves' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 125th, while the Bruins are ranked 340th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Woodcreek's win came from a few key players Rio Americano will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Josiah Melendez, who threw for 151 yards and one TD, and also rushed for 51 yards on only seven carries. Another player making a difference was Blake Hastings, who rushed for 84 yards and a pair of scores.
Rio Americano now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Woodcreek, their win bumped their record up to 4-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Rio Americano has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 184.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Woodcreek struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 177.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Rio Americano suffered a grim 27-7 defeat to Woodcreek when the teams last played back in September of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Timberwolves' Trace Murchison, who rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries. Now that the Raiders know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
