Preview: Western Pioneers vs. Century Centurions
Western is 3-0 against Century since April of 2021, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Western Pioneers will be playing at home against the Century Centurions at 7:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Western has seven straight wins, Century has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Friday, Western got themselves on the board against Santa Ana Valley, but Santa Ana Valley never followed suit. They blew past the Falcons 58-0 on the road. The result was nothing new for Western, who have now won seven games by 27 points or more so far this season.
Western haved a senior duo take command as Anthony Luna threw for 288 yards and four touchdowns on only 19 passes and Joshua Faulkner gained 116 total yards and three touchdowns. Faulkner was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 53 yards. Another player making a difference was Clayton Corbett, who rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Santa Ana Valley to a paltry 122 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Western's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid him out seven times before it was all said and done. The heavy lifting was done by Dominic Hadrous and Malik Benjamin who racked up 4.5 sacks between them.
Meanwhile, Century pushed their score all the way to 31 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell just short of Savanna by a score of 34-31.
Despite their loss, Century saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Daniel Joya, who threw for 159 yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground, was perhaps the best of all. Jonathan Rodriguez was another key contributor, gaining 91 total yards and two touchdowns.
Western's win was their fourth straight on the road, which bumped their overall record up to 7-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 49.8 points per game. As for Century, their loss dropped their record down to 1-7.
Thursday's contest might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Western has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 185.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Century struggles in that department as they've been averaging 183.2 per game. It's looking like Thursday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Western against Century in their previous meeting back in September of 2022 as the squad secured a 61-0 win. Does Western have another victory up their sleeve, or will Century turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
