Football Preview: Estancia Eagles vs. Artesia Pioneers
Estancia has been on the road for three straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will welcome the Artesia Pioneers at 7:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Estancia's defense heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Santiago 38-0 on the road. That looming 38-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Eagles yet this season.
It was another big night for Jeff Brown, who rushed for 282 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.1 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards.
Estancia's defense stepped up as well, laying out James Gonzalez. four times. The heavy lifting was done by Steve Sanchez and Roy Brown, who racked up all four sacks between them. Sanchez is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Estancia was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 348 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Artesia put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They claimed a resounding 41-7 win over Mountain View at home.
Artesia's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Charlie Lopez led the charge by throwing for 144 yards and two touchdowns on only six passes, while also rushing for 54 yards. Lopez's longest rush was for an impressive 54 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Another player making a difference was Julius Padilla, who gained 175 total yards.
Estancia's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Artesia, their win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Estancia has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 237.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Artesia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 242.8. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Estancia against Artesia when the teams last played back in September of 2021, as the squad secured a 43-0 victory. Does Estancia have another victory up their sleeve, or will Artesia turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
