Two dominant backs in Jaylen Malcom and Blake Zanger are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Santa Teresa Saints will be playing at home against the Leigh Longhorns at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Santa Teresa will come into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
Santa Teresa will bounce into Friday's game after beating Live Oak, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Saints strolled past the Acorns with points to spare on Saturday, taking the game 49-35.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Malcom and Gage Jones. Malcom had a great game and gained 110 total yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Jones was balling out in the loss, rushing for 234 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Leigh's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They took a 27-17 hit to the loss column at the hands of Christopher.
Although Leigh took the loss, they still got scores from Zanger and Miles Huntington.
Most of the squad's points came courtesy of special teams, who contributed 11 in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Huntington, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Even if they lost, Leigh's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Matthew Williams, Riley Huston, and Justin Baloca, who each picked up one sack apiece. Leigh got some further help from Williams: he picked up a sack and made nine total tackles.
Leigh's defeat dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Santa Teresa, their win bumped their record up to 6-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Santa Teresa has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 177 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Leigh struggles in that department as they've been averaging 189.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Santa Teresa beat Leigh 44-34 in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Will the Saints repeat their success, or do the Longhorns have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
