Football Preview: Lathrop Spartans vs. Hilmar Yellowjackets
The Lathrop Spartans will square off against the Hilmar Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Lathrop will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
Lathrop is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 56-6 win over Beyer. The result was nothing new for the Spartans, who have now won five contests by 20 points or more so far this season.
Lathrop was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 267 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 160 rushing yards in 22 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Lathrop's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB four times. Javier Guevara was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two sacks himself. Another thorn in Beyer's side was Casyn Hopping, who picked up a sack and made ten total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, with a playoff game on the line, Hilmar rose to the challenge on Friday. They walked away with a 14-7 victory over the Wolves. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Yellowjackets as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Caden Bailey continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Hilmar also got a significant boost from Merek Ellerd, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 107 yards.
Hilmar 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 Cohen Felber.
Lathrop pushed their record up to 9-1 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. Those good results were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 13.5 points per game. As for Hilmar, their record now sits at 5-6.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Lathrop has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 254.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hilmar struggles in that department as they've been averaging 165.8. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Lathrop might still be hurting after the 35-13 loss they got from Hilmar in their previous meeting back in September of 2017. Thankfully for Lathrop, Tristan Crowley (who threw for 179 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
