Preview: Orestimba Warriors vs. Le Grand Bulldogs
Orestimba has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Le Grand Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Orestimba has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 299 points over their last six matchups.
With a playoff game on the line, Orestimba rose to the challenge on Friday. They blew past Highlands 54-7 at home. Considering Orestimba has won six matches by more than 27 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Juan Esquivez was his usual excellent self, rushing for 116 yards and five touchdowns on only seven carries. Esquivez is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last six games he's played. Jacob Mar made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Another reason for the win was Orestimba's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. Leading the way was Devon Bell and his four sacks.
Meanwhile, Le Grand had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 17.3 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. Everything went their way against Waterford as Le Grand made off with a 62-36 win. With Le Grand ahead 48-14 at the half, the match was all but over already.
Le Grand can attribute much of their success to Diego Martinez, who threw for 222 yards and six touchdowns on only 18 passes, and Alexis Granados, who rushed for 208 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 13.0 yards per carry. Granados was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 66 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Grant Richardson, who picked up 54 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Orestimba is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season. As for Le Grand, their victory bumped their record up to 9-2.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: Orestimba has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 189.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Le Grand struggles in that department as they've been averaging 187 per game. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Orestimba was able to grind out a solid win over Le Grand when the teams last played back in September, winning 49-36. Will Orestimba repeat their success, or does Le Grand have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
