Football Preview: Las Cruces Bulldawgs vs. Centennial Hawks
Las Cruces has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will venture away from home to challenge the Centennial Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Las Cruces is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 27.3 points per game this season.
Las Cruces is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Carlsbad, who was ranked 23rd in their home state at the time (Las Cruces was ranked fifth). Las Cruces strolled past Carlsbad with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 30-12.
It was another big night for Daniel Amaro, who rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries, and also threw for 83 yards and a touchdown. Amaro is crushing it when it comes to rushing touchdowns: he's punched in at least two every time he's taken the field this season. Francisco Winnikoff did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 83 receiving yards.
Las Cruces was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 207 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Carlsbad only rushed for 109.
Meanwhile, Centennial put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They took their game with ease, bagging a 49-0 victory over Clovis. Considering the Hawks have won seven matches by more than 21 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Centennial's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Zaiden Davis, who threw for 105 yards and two touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes, and also rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown. Rudy Rios was another key player, rushing for 118 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries.
Las Cruces' win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-2. As for Centennial, their record is now 9-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Las Cruces has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 164.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Centennial struggles in that department as they've been averaging 314.3. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Las Cruces didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Centennial when the teams last played back in November of 2023, but they still walked away with a 38-34 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Davis, who rushed for 279 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 13.3 yards per carry, and also threw for 183 yards while completing 91.7% of his passes. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Las Cruces still be able to contain Davis? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
