Football Preview: McFarland Cougars vs. Mendota Aztecs
The McFarland Cougars's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Mendota Aztecs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Last Thursday, McFarland took a blow against Golden Valley, falling 46-19.
Despite their loss, McFarland saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Sebastian San Juan Concha, who picked up 92 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 40 yards, was perhaps the best of all. Jorge Hernandez-Galvan was another key signal caller, throwing for 94 yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mendota). They were the clear victor by a 42-21 margin over Orange Cove two weeks ago. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Mendota's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Ryan Preciado, who threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns while completing 73.3% of his passes. A healthy portion of that aerial production (104 yards to be exact) went to Erlin Gomez, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Mendota was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 234 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Mendota's defense made their presence known, laying out Oscar Alvarez. three times. In that department, Bryan Ruiz was the leader with two sacks.
McFarland's defeat was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 2-3. As for Mendota, their record now sits at 3-1.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. McFarland has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 188 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mendota struggles in that department as they've been averaging 174. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
