The Mojave Rattlers will venture away from home to challenge the Las Vegas Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Las Vegas took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Mojave, who comes in off a win.
On Friday, Mojave got the win against Palo Verde by a conclusive 34-10. The result was nothing new for the Rattlers, who have now won four contests by 24 points or more so far this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Mojave to victory, but perhaps none more so than S'Marion Coleman, who picked up 113 receiving yards and one touchdown, and also rushed for 97 yards and one score. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 88 yards. Mojave also got a significant boost from Francisco Reinares, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 155 yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Mojave was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 348 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Elijah Richard
| 10/24/25 vs Palo Verde | 2 |
| 09/26/25 vs Pinecrest Academy Cadence | 2 |
| 10/17/25 @ Centennial | 1 |
| 09/05/25 @ Desert Pines | 1 |
Mojave didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Elijah Richard and Demico Zamora. Richard has become a key player for Mojave: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least one interception, but 2-4 otherwise. Jray Vele was another major factor on D, making ten total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Las Vegas faced Arbor View in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Wildcats took a blow against the Aggies, falling 57-28. The Wildcats were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 50-14.
Mojave will have to contain Tanner Vibabul as he made an impact in Las Vegas' last game. He rushed for 114 yards and one TD on only six carries, and also threw for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Mojave has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 5-5 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 29.8 points over those games. Having lost for the first time this season, Las Vegas fell to 9-1.
Mojave took a serious blow against Las Vegas in their previous matchup back in September of 2022, falling 44-6. Thankfully for the Rattlers, Elijah Espinoza (who threw for 246 yards and four TDs while completing 73.7% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
