Football Game Preview: Carmel Padres vs. Salinas Cowboys + How To Watch

The Carmel Padres will head out to take on the Salinas Cowboys at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Carmel will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.

Carmel is headed into the matchup having just posted their closest victory since December 6, 2024 on Friday. They won a game that couldn't have been any closer, slipping by Monterey 28-27.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Salinas). They took down Aptos 49-35 on Thursday. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Cowboys' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 154th, while the Mariners are ranked 548th).

Carmel better keep an eye on Michael Andrade. He was instrumental in Salinas' win, throwing for 201 yards and four touchdowns while completing 73.3% of his passes, and also punching in one score on the ground. The dominant performance also gave Andrade a new career-high in passer rating (154.9). Isaak Hernandez was another key player, rushing for 137 yards and one TD while picking up 8.6 yards per carry.

Salinas' win bumped their record up to 5-3. As for Carmel, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 5-3.

Carmel suffered a grim 55-31 defeat to Salinas in their previous matchup back in October of 2019. Thankfully for the Padres, Jeff Shaffer (who rushed for 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 12 carries, and also picked up 124 receiving yards and one score) 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.