Football games of the week — Week 8

Thursday Night Lights Game

Western at Mojave — These two teams combined to go 1-17 last year. The one win was Mojave’s 41-8 victory over the Warriors.

It will be tough for either squad to make the postseason in a tough Class 3A Sunset League, but this is a must-win if either squad has playoff dreams.

Mojave last made the postseason in 2015, and the Warriors last made it in 2007.

Games of the Week

Virgin Valley at Moapa Valley — The closest thing the valley has to a traditional small-town football rivalry, this game is annually one of the best Class 3A contests of the year.

The Pirates won a state title in 2014 and were the runners-up in 2015. Then the Bulldogs went 8-1 last season and won their first league championship since 2007. Both have had success in the recent history, and 2017’s match up promises to be a close one.

Virgin Valley won last year’s game 14-7, the school’s first victory in the battle for the Victory Hammer since 2007.

Durango at Sierra Vista — The Trailblazers started the season 6-0 and missed the playoffs in one of the more heartbreaking story lines of last year. They lost the last three games of the year to drop to 3-3 in league play, and it started with a 10-7 defeat by the Mountain Lions.

Sierra Vista entered the game against Durango undefeated as well, and rode a fourth-quarter touchdown to victory. The Mountain Lions only lost one game during the regular season last year.

What it makes it worse for Durango is that it entered the season on a 16-game losing streak and had not made the playoffs since 2012. The Trailblazers will certainly be out for revenge this season.