Football Preview: Corona Panthers vs. Murrieta Mesa Rams
Corona hasn't had much luck against Murrieta Mesa recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Corona Panthers will take on the Murrieta Mesa Rams at 7:00 p.m.
Corona is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against King on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Corona had to suffer through a 45-10 loss at the hands of King. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 719th, while the Wolves are ranked 183rd).
Meanwhile, Murrieta Mesa strolled past Great Oak with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 31-13. The matchup marked the Rams' most dominant victory of the season.
Artyon Celestine continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 186 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries. Those 186 rushing yards gave him a new career-high.
Murrieta Mesa didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Kian Hendricks, Jesse Wilhite, and Derrick Hart picked up one apiece. Hart also snagged an interception, which is notable because Murrieta Mesa is 2-1 when he posts at least one interception, but 1-3 otherwise. Deshawn Reid was another major factor on D, making 23 total tackles (4.0 for loss) and defending a pass.
This is the second loss in a row for Corona and nudges their season record down to 2-5. As for Murrieta Mesa, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 3-4.
Corona took a serious blow against Murrieta Mesa in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, falling 49-0. Can Corona avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
