Clovis is 1-9 against Central East since October of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Cougars will square off against the Bengals at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Clovis is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Clovis West 48-7. The Cougars have beaten the Golden Eagles the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Golden Eagles has come to flipping the script.
Clovis' win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from James Curoso, who rushed for 135 yards and a pair of scores, and also picked up 47 receiving yards and two TDs. Deagan Rose was another key passer, throwing for 294 yards and four touchdowns while completing 79.2% of his passes.
Clovis didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Clovis West to a completion percentage of just 30.8%. The team can thank Sterling Edwards for the heroic effort on defense: he. Given Rose's standout performance, it's clear Clovis West's secondary just wasn't on the same level.
Meanwhile, Buchanan kept up with Central East until halftime on Friday, but afterwards: not so much. The Bengals blew past the Bears 53-31.
Clovis better keep an eye on Jelani Dippel. He was instrumental in Central East's win, throwing for 391 yards and six TDs while picking up 15.6 yards per attempt. Dippel's passing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 370 passing yards. 88 of Dippel's passing yards were hauled in by Titus Thomas, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Central East didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Jontae Della, Brandon Smith, and Chris Perry picked up one apiece. Smith got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Clovis' record is now 10-2. As for Central East, their record now sits at 11-1.
Friday's game will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Rose and Dippel. Rose just won't slow down this season and has thrown 35 touchdowns (and and only 3 picks) while averaging 261.8 passing yards per game. Dippel has been a dominant force too and has thrown 45 touchdowns (and and only 4 picks) while averaging 312.8 passing yards per game.
Clovis came up short against Central East in their previous meeting back in October, falling 61-49. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Dippel, who threw for 283 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 11.8 yards per attempt. Now that the Cougars know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
