The Pioneer Diamondbacks will challenge the Alice Coyotes at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Pioneer is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 28.4 points per game this season.
Pioneer is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Veterans Memorial just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Thursday. They lost 45-21 to the Chargers.
Despite the defeat, Pioneer got top-tier performance from Dylan Tijerina, who rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries. Tijerina's longest rush was for an impressive 51 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Another player making a difference was William Goodloe, who rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Pioneer was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 282 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2023.
Meanwhile, Alice won a contest that couldn't have been any closer, slipping by Tuloso-Midway 28-27.
Alice got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Lucian Cruz out in front who threw for 138 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 32 yards. Collin Tsesmelis was another key player, picking up 81 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Pioneer's loss dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Alice, the win got them back to even at 3-3.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Pioneer has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 202.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Alice struggles in that department as they've been averaging 160.5. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
