Football Preview: Placer Hillmen vs. Del Campo Cougars
The Placer Hillmen are taking a road trip to take on the Del Campo Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Placer is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Antelope 55-22 at home. Given the Hillmen's advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 132nd, while the Titans are ranked 569th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Placer's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Rian Miller, who threw for 176 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 passes, and Baylor Kelley, who rushed for 52 yards and two touchdowns on only five carries. Kelley also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making five total tackles and defending a pass in addition to snagging an interception which he returned for a touchdown. Placer also got a significant boost from Shaun Jones, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 93 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Placer was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 215 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 166 rushing yards in 15 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Placer's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Christian Gromnicki and Kelley.
Meanwhile, Del Campo put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They strolled past Pierce with points to spare, taking the game 31-15. While the Cougars didn't have the best season last year (they finished 3-7), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Del Campo's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Xane Diaz, who rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Isaiah Richmond was another key player, rushing for 41 yards and two touchdowns.
Placer's record now sits at 4-0. As for Del Campo, their record now sits at 4-0.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Placer has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 244 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Del Campo struggles in that department as they've been averaging 242.8. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
