Football Game Preview: Avalon Lancers vs. Calvary Chapel Grizzlies

The Avalon Lancers will venture away from home to take on the Calvary Chapel Grizzlies at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Calvary Chapel took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Avalon, who comes in off a win.

Avalon's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on October 4th. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Vista Meridian 41-0. Given the Lancers' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 24th, while the Meridian Eagles are ranked 87th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Calvary Chapel was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were beaten by Southlands Christian 47-14.

Avalon will have to contain Gilbert Samano as he made an impact in Calvary Chapel's last game. He rushed for 71 yards on only six carries, and also picked up 58 receiving yards. Samano also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making five total tackles and defending one pass.

Avalon pushed their record up to 3-2 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 8.8 points on average this season. As for Calvary Chapel, they now have a losing record of 3-4.

Avalon couldn't quite finish off Calvary Chapel when the teams last played back in October of 2021 and fell 49-46. Thankfully for the Lancers, Eliab Carrera (who rushed for 198 yards and three scores while picking up 8.6 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.