Football Preview: Menendez Falcons vs. Matanzas Pirates
The Menendez Falcons will head out to challenge the Matanzas Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Menendez took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They strolled past Tocoi Creek with points to spare, taking the game 32-16.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Mason Lynch and Vincent Galella. Lynch had a great game and rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Galella did his best for the losing side, rushing for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Menendez didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Luke Harmon and Trenton Williams. Harmon also made six total tackles, which is notable because Menendez is 2-1 when he posts at least four total tackles, but 2-3 otherwise.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Matanzas). They walked away with a 35-24 win over Belleview on Thursday.
Matanzas' win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from James Peterson, who rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries. Ladarian Baker was in the mix too, providing Matanzas with a touchdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Matanzas was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 239 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
The victory got Menendez back to even at 4-4. As for Matanzas, the win also got them back to even at 4-4.
Menendez came out on top in a nail-biter against Matanzas in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, sneaking past 14-12. The rematch might be a little tougher for Menendez since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
