On Friday October 24, 2025, the Valley Christian Trojans defeated the Gilbert Christian Knights 27-20 in a key region matchup.
Valley Christian started off strong, but the Knights fought back in the second half and still had a chance until the late stages. The turning point came in fourth quarter when Valley Christian held their leading position with a touchdown that gave Gilbert Christian no chance to come back and win. Even with the late actions, Gilbert Christian could not close the gap.
With the win, Valley Christian improved to 8-1 on the season. While on the other hand, Gilbert Christian fell to 6-3, which they are now on a three-game losing streak. Early on, Valley Christian leaned heavily on the ground game. The head coach of Valley Christian, Jake Petersen says, "It was great to come out of Friday night's rivalry game with a win. It wasn't always pretty, but when you beat one of your rival schools a win always feels good. In football you have a full year to enjoy it most times but there is a chance we meet again this season." After the win, The LB Corben Cecil says, "I was very proud of the way our defense played and that we are able to shut down their momentum. But I am also happy that we beat our rivals in a very competitive game." Their dynamic back, Caleb Goldman and the star quarterback Austin Schuder combined together to defeat the Knights defense. Goldman rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns; Schuder added 156 passing yards.
The Trojans finished off with roughly 311 rushing yards, a dominating figure compared with the Knights with 77 rushing yards because their offense was limited. The Knights defense tried to contain the run and force the plays, but the Trojan offense line overpowered them. The Knights showed big-play ability and has underclassmen stepping in while entering this game 6-2. The Valley Trojans strengths were shown by their offensive line opening holes and the defense held firm against the Knights. The Trojans also ran for big yardage and controlled pace. Some weaknesses for them to work on is that they must remain focused as bigger competition comes up in the next games.
For this season the Valley Christian Trojans are in a strong position. They have solid records and effective rushing game and have improved momentum since the previous year. Last year Trojans had a 4-6 overall with a conference record 2-2, but this year they have improved immensely with now a record of 8-1 hopefully continuing the streak to lead them to playoffs. Contributing to the win, the senior Ethan Hodgson had 53 receiving yards and a touchdown to help Valley score more points. Along with that, the senior Asher Hanzal had 39 receiving yards to help aid his team and also contributed with a touchdown to end up winning the game.
Next up, the Valley Christian Trojans will focus on finishing the season strong and gearing up for the playoffs. If they keep working hard and improving each week, this team has a real chance to make some noise late in the year.
