Football Preview: Modesto Panthers vs. Downey Knights
Modesto is 2-8 against Downey since October of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Modesto Panthers will host the Downey Knights at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Modesto is returning home triumphant after the team finally put their road woes behind them against Enochs on Friday. Modesto came out on top against Enochs by a score of 42-29.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Modesto was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 323 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in August of 2023.
Meanwhile, Downey put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They took their game at home with ease, bagging a 56-3 win over Pitman. The Knights' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Carson Lamb was his usual excellent self, throwing for 226 yards and four touchdowns. He is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last five games he's played dating back to last season. Elijah Tamayo helped Lamb out on the ground, picking up 39 receiving yards and a touchdown, while also punching in a touchdown on the ground.
Downey didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Daley Holmes and Ethan Woodmansee. Another thorn in Pitman's side was Noah Sacuskie, who picked up 1.5 sacks and made nine total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Modesto's victory ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-3. As for Downey, they pushed their record up to 6-0 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Modesto has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 207.3 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Downey has preferred to attack from the air: they average 301.8 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Modesto was taken down by Downey 59-0 in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Lamb, who threw for 397 yards and six touchdowns while completing 90.9% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Now that Modesto knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
