Football Preview: Balboa Buccaneers vs. Lincoln Mustangs
Balboa has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Lincoln Mustangs at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Balboa knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past five contests -- so hopefully Lincoln likes a good challenge.
Lincoln's offense is going to have their work cut out for them on Saturday: Balboa hadn't allowed a single point the last three times they've hit the field. Balboa never let Burton onto the board and left with a 53-0 victory on Saturday. The Buccaneers' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Balboa found their leader in sophomore Joseph Smith, who rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 50 receiving yards and a touchdown.incredibly, Smith got all that yardage with just one huge grab Rylen Thien-Jones was another key player, throwing for 107 yards and two touchdowns on only five passes.
Meanwhile, Lincoln waltzed into their game on Saturday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They blew past the Cardinals 41-21. The result was nothing new for the Mustangs, who have now won four matches by 20 points or more so far this season.
Michael Washington was his usual excellent self, rushing for 338 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 13.0 yards per carry.
Lincoln was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 369 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 169 rushing yards in 18 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Another reason for the win was Lincoln's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Jabari Porche and Lazarus Tulali, who racked up all four sacks between them.
Lincoln's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. Those victories were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 7.0 points per game. As for Balboa, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Saturday's contest will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Smith and Washington. Smith just won't slow down this season and has caught 5 touchdowns while averaging 77.6 receiving yards per game. Washington has been a dominant force too and has run in 19 touchdowns while averaging 182.9 rushing yards per game.
Balboa was dealt a bruising 35-0 defeat at the hands of Lincoln in their previous matchup back in November of 2023. Thankfully for Balboa, Jamelle Newman (who rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.2 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
