YUMA, AZ - Friday night’s game between Gila Ridge (1-7, 0-2) and Estrella Foothills (4-4, 2-0) is a battle of two teams on opposite ends of the spectrum.
For the Hawks, they are in the midst of a disappointing season, while the Wolves are looking to play for the regional title.
Estrella Foothills comes into the this game 2-0 in the Southwest Region and a win Friday night, and a win by Buckeye (6-2, 2-0) against Youngker (2-7, 2-1), would set up a pseudo-section championship game Oct. 28. The winner of which would receive an automatic berth into the state playoffs.
The Hawks are looking to play the role of spoiler, while also trying to avoid their worst record in school history. After a chance to win last week in the final seconds against Youngker, Gila Ridge is looking to build off the offensive momentum. Dareyon Taylor, who has seen time at multiple positions, scored three touchdowns and is one of the Hawks only offensive threats.
After making a switch at quarterback to Chance Morland, Gila Ridge will feature a run-heavy offense. The key for the Hawks will be to limit the turnovers and penalties that have plagued them all season.
“We put some points on the score board last week but we shot ourselves in the foot on a few drives,” Hawks head coach Tyler Kosel said. “We need to play smart and physical football for 4 quarters against a good team like Estrella Foothills."
Estrella Foothills is on a three-game win streak while limiting opponents to 13 or fewer points in each of its four victories. The Wolves defeated Yuma High last Friday, 44-13, and rely heavily on junior quarterback Tyler Godfrey, along with receivers Trent Campbell and Cody Sullivan.
NOTES
Similar to previous weeks' match ups this will be the first time these two teams have player in their history... Gila Ridge is on a five-game losing streak but did score their most points of the season in last week’s game (27)... After a week 4 overtime win against Apache Junction, Estrella Foothills has won four out of five. Their only loss in that stretch was a 56-0 drubbing against Higley, who is ranked No. 3 in the 4A power points...
