Smoky Valley scored the most points they've had all season on Friday, but it wasn't enough. They fell 55-44 to the Trinity Academy Knights. The Vikings were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Knights apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in November of 2019.
Despite the loss, Smoky Valley still got an impressive performance from Gavin Stambaugh, who rushed for 262 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 9.0 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave Stambaugh a new career-high in rushing yards. Ezekiel Baker was another key rusher, rushing for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Smoky Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 364 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 191 rushing yards in seven consecutive matches dating back to last season.
It was another big night for Zac Zimmerman, who threw for 414 yards and six touchdowns while completing 73% of his passes, and also rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown for Trinity Academy. With that strong performance, Zimmerman is now averaging an impressive 3.5 passing touchdowns per game. Yamnoel Oyola was Zimmerman's top target, picking up 120 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Smoky Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Trinity Academy, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Smoky Valley will take on Hesston at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hesston will roll in looking for their fifth straight victory, something Smoky Valley surely won't give up without a fight. As for Trinity Academy, they are taking a road trip to challenge Belle Plaine at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Trinity Academy is facing Belle Plaine at the right time seeing as Belle Plaine is stuck on a four-game losing streak.
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