The Mater Academy East Las Vegas Knights will face off against the Doral Academy Red Rock Dragons at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Mater Academy East Las Vegas has four straight wins, Doral Academy Red Rock has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Mater Academy East Las Vegas is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Sports Leadership & Management, who was ranked 25th at the time (Mater Academy East Las Vegas was ranked 14th). Mater Academy East Las Vegas secured a 24-19 W over Sports Leadership & Management on Friday.
| 01/31/25 @ Sports Leadership & Management | 3 |
| 01/29/25 vs Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon | 4 |
| 01/28/25 vs Cimarron-Memorial | 4 |
| 01/24/25 @ Valley | 6 |
Mater Academy East Las Vegas found their leader in sophomore Cheyanne Thornhill, who rushed for 63 yards and one touchdown on only six carries, and also threw for 99 yards and three touchdowns. Thornhill is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as she's now passed for three or more in the last four games she's played.
One reason for the win was Mater Academy East Las Vegas' imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. In fact, those sacks all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Serina Mendez.
Meanwhile, Doral Academy Red Rock was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 26-21 to Moapa Valley.
Mater Academy East Las Vegas will have to keep a close watch on Merseillez Mika and Nadine Barron, a pair of players who had a big impact on Doral Academy Red Rock's prior game. Mika picked up 119 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while Barron threw for 185 yards and three touchdowns. Those 119 receiving yards gave Mika a new career-high.
Doral Academy Red Rock didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Adisynne McMahon and Mika. Mika also hauled in two receiving touchdowns, which is notable because Doral Academy Red Rock is 3-1 when she posts at least two receiving touchdowns, but 0-12 otherwise.
Mater Academy East Las Vegas pushed their record up to 16-6 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 34.4 points per game. As for Doral Academy Red Rock, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-13.
Mater Academy East Las Vegas strolled past Doral Academy Red Rock when the teams last played back in February of 2024 by a score of 38-22. Will Mater Academy East Las Vegas repeat their success, or does Doral Academy Red Rock have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
