Football Preview: Clint Lions vs. Austin Panthers
Two dominant backs in Angel Veliz and Sal Duarte are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. A feisty cat fight will be fought when Lions dukes it out withthe Austin Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Last Friday, Clint was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 27-21 to Mountain View.
Despite the defeat, Clint got top-tier performance from Veliz, who rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Veliz is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last three games he's played dating back to last season.
Even though they lost, Clint was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 288 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 192 rushing yards in four consecutive contests.
Even if they lost, Clint's defense still kept up the pressure with six sacks. Andres Retana was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up twohimself.
Meanwhile, Austin entered their tilt with Fabens on Friday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They breezed by the Wildcats on the road to the tune of 42-14. With that victory, the Panthers brought their scoring average up to 27.4 points per game.
Austin found their leader in underclassman Duarte, who rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Duarte's longest rush was for an impressive 54 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Alexis Vazquez was another key player, throwing for 162 yards and three touchdowns while completing 83.3% of his passes.
Austin didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Andruw Andujo. He also set a new season high mark in receiving yards with 106.
Clint's loss dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Austin, their win was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Clint has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 292 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Austin struggles in that department as they've been averaging 285.4. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Clint came up short against Austin when the teams last played back in September of 2019, falling 20-7. Thankfully for Clint, William Rodriguez Iii (who rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns) 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.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
