Preview: Elsinore Tigers vs. Hemet Bulldogs
Elsinore has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will challenge the Hemet Bulldogs at 7:00 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.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Elsinore had no problem doing just that on Friday. They took their match at home with ease, bagging a 37-6 win over Brea Olinda. Considering Elsinore has won four matchups by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Elsinore's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Andrew Irvin, who picked up 62 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The team also got some help courtesy of Robby Whitlock, who threw for 78 yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Hemet entered their tilt with Rancho Christian with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. Hemet walked away with a 38-28 win over Rancho Christian on Friday. 38 seems to be a good number for Hemet as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of points in their previous game.
Daniel Mendoza went supernova for Hemet, rushing for 223 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.2 yards per carry, and also picking up 34 receiving yards. Mendoza's longest rush was for an incredible 70 yards. Another player making a difference was Draven Lopez, who threw for 114 yards and two touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes.
Elsinore now has a winning record of 6-5. As for Hemet, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season.
Elsinore took their win against Hemet in their previous matchup back in October of 2021 by a conclusive 28-7. Will Elsinore repeat their success, or does Hemet have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
