Football Preview: Montgomery Vikings vs. Rancho Cotate Cougars
Montgomery hasn't had much luck against Rancho Cotate recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Montgomery Vikings will be playing in front of their home fans against the Rancho Cotate Cougars at 7:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Montgomery is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Healdsburg, posting a 50-20 victory on the road. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Montgomery found their leader in underclassman Joe Laqere, who rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Quentin Perez was another key player, rushing for 64 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries.
Montgomery wouldn't let Healdsburg keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Riley Hallin, Bradly George, and George picked up one apiece. Hallin is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made seven or more in the last eight games he's played dating back to last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Montgomery was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 267 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, while Rancho Cotate put up plenty of points on Friday, the same can't be said for Freedom. Rancho Cotate claimed a resounding 37-0 victory over Freedom on the road. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 231st, while the Falcons are ranked 650th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Wyatt Gregori looked great while leading his team to the win, rushing for 95 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries, while also throwing for 125 yards on eight of 19 attempts.
Rancho Cotate's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Luke Morie and Devin Perkins.
The win made it two in a row for Montgomery and bumps their season record up to 3-1. As for Rancho Cotate, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 3-1.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Montgomery has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 174.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Rancho Cotate struggles in that department as they've been averaging 164. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Montgomery was dealt a bruising 56-6 loss at the hands of Rancho Cotate in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Montgomery was down 28-6.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
