The Mingus Marauders will venture away from home to square off against the Deer Valley Skyhawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Having struggled with seven defeats in a row dating back to last season, Mingus finally turned things around against Copper Canyon on Friday. They breezed by the Aztecs on the road to the tune of 39-7. The Marauders' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Dawson Rice was a one-man wrecking crew for Mingus as he rushed for 47 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 passes. Koby De La Haye got in on the action too, returning a kick for a touchdown.
Mingus' defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Jose Felix, Remington Stokes, and Stokes picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, Deer Valley put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They really took it to La Joya Community for the full four quarters, racking up a 40-12 victory on the road. The result was nothing new for the Skyhawks, who have now won three matchups by 21 points or more so far this season.
Marcus Johnson was his usual excellent self, rushing for 215 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 7.4 yards per carry, and also picking up 38 receiving yards. Adan Sanchez was another major influence, as he rushed for 80 yards and ran in a TD.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Deer Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 358 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted was before the start of last season.
One reason for the win was Deer Valley's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Anthony Rosas and Carter Guggenberger, who racked up five sacks between them.
Mingus' first win this season bumped their record up to 1-3. As for Deer Valley, their record is now 4-0.
Mingus was able to grind out a solid victory over Deer Valley in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, winning 26-13. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mingus since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
