Sahuaro is 0-4 against Ironwood Ridge since September of 2015 but things could change on Friday. The Sahuaro Cougars will square off against the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks 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.
Last Thursday, everything went Sahuaro's way against Cholla as Sahuaro made off with a 35-14 victory. That looming 35-14 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Cougars yet this season.
Sahuaro got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Isaac Lugo out in front who rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.1 yards per carry. Lugo's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 136 rushing yards dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Manzo Blackwell, who threw for 140 yards and three touchdowns while completing 84.6% of his passes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Sahuaro was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 206 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 160 rushing yards in five consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Ironwood Ridge got the win against Douglas on Friday by a conclusive 35-9. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Nighthawks.
A big part of Ironwood Ridge's victory came down to the chemistry between Jaiden Martinez and his top target Matthew Kroner. Martinez threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 12.2 yards per attempt while Kroner picked up 214 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Kroner torched the secondary when he pulled down a catch that went for 80 yards.
Sahuaro's record now sits at 3-1. As for Ironwood Ridge, their record is now 3-1.
Sahuaro was dealt a bruising 44-7 defeat at the hands of Ironwood Ridge in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Thankfully for Sahuaro, Dominic Norris (who rushed for 85 yards and three touchdowns on only eight carries, and also threw for 238 yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
