Football Preview: La Quinta Aztecs vs. Bolsa Grande Matadors
La Quinta has been away from home for two games now, but on Friday they'll finally make their return. They will host the Bolsa Grande Matadors at 7:00 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Friday.
Last Friday, everything came up roses for La Quinta on the road against Compton Early College as the squad secured a 48-14 win. Fans of the Aztecs have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
La Quinta's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Cooper Starnes led the charge by rushing for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Starnes got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 60 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Palacios, who gained 134 total yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, La Quinta was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 351 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 287 rushing yards in five consecutive games.
La Quinta'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 Palacios and Joshua Noguera.
Meanwhile, while Bolsa Grande put up plenty of points on Saturday, the same can't be said for Channel Islands. Bolsa Grande blew past Channel Islands, posting a 38-0 victory on the road. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Matadors considering their six-point performance the contest before.
Bolsa Grande had a senior duo take command as Tank Britton threw for 190 yards and five touchdowns on only 14 passes and Jacob Ortiz picked up 98 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Those 98 receiving yards set a new season-high mark for Ortiz.
Bolsa Grande wouldn't let Channel Islands keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Bolsa Grande can thank Nathaniel Natilani Iosua Fiaputa and Daymien Sanchez for forcing both of them. Natilani Iosua Fiaputa has been hot recently, having also posted five or more total tackles the last three times he's played.
La Quinta's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-0. As for Bolsa Grande, their victory bumped their record up to 2-3.
La Quinta came up short against Bolsa Grande in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, falling 42-35. Can La Quinta avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
