The River Valley Dust Devils will head out on the road to challenge the Dysart Demons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. River Valley knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past five games -- so hopefully Dysart likes a good challenge.
River Valley proved they can win big last Friday (they won by 34) and on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 34-31 victory over Payson. River Valley's win was all the more impressive since the Longhorns were averaging only 13.89 points allowed on the season.
River Valley didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Nathan Bush.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Dysart). They claimed a resounding 61-6 victory over Odyssey Institute. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Dysart's win came from a few key players River Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jevon Christmas, who rushed for 137 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also picked up 43 receiving yards and one TD. He showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 64 yards. Another player making a difference was Donovan Hinchey, who gained 111 total yards and two touchdowns.
Dysart was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 243 rushing yards. They are 5-1 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
Dysart has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 5-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 14.2 points on average over those games. As for River Valley, their win bumped their record up to 6-3.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. River Valley has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 282.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Dysart struggles in that department as they've been averaging 234.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
River Valley was able to grind out a solid victory over Dysart when the teams last played back in August of 2024, winning 41-32. Do the Dust Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Demons turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
