The Casa Grande Cougars will square off against the Mica Mountain Thunderbolts at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mica Mountain is hoping to do what Maricopa couldn't on Friday: put an end to Casa Grande's winning streak, which now stands at four games. Casa Grande simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Maricopa 45-7 on the road. That's two games straight that the Cougars have won by exactly 38 points.
Luke Keeton and Cameron Armstrong were among the main playmakers for Casa Grande as the former threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns and the latter gained 183 total yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance also gave Keeton a new career-high in rushing yards. Kendale Cade was Keeton's top target, picking up 92 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Casa Grande's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Izayah Gant and DeSean Kelley. Gant also set a new season high mark in total tackles with six. Johnathan Marley was another major factor on D, picking up 1.5 sacks and making 12 total tackles.
Meanwhile, Mica Mountain put their dominant defense on display in the team's third consecutive shutout on Thursday. They breezed by Sunnyside at home to the tune of 28-0. The Thunderbolts' offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.
Mica Mountain can attribute much of their success to Jimmy Leon, who picked up 64 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Leon was even better on defense, picking up two sacks, making six total tackles (3.5 for loss), and making six total tackles (3.5 for loss).
Mica Mountain wouldn't let Sunnyside keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Rogan Piper, Shangkat Jwander, and Jwander picked up one apiece.
Casa Grande's victory bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Mica Mountain, their win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-0.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: Casa Grande has been excellent in the air this season, having averaged 292.5 passing yards per game. It's a different story for Mica Mountain, though, as they've been averaging only 98. How will they fare against such a dominant passing game?
Casa Grande lost to Mica Mountain at home by a decisive 42-27 margin in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Thankfully for Casa Grande, Kason Colbert (who rushed for 246 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
