Football Preview: California Trojans vs. Laurel Spartans
The California Trojans and the Laurel Spartans are set to duel on Friday. California is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 42.8 points per game this season.
California is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Jefferson-Morgan just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Friday. They were just a hair shy of victory and fell 28-27 to the Rockets.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Vincent Manzella, who picked up 105 receiving yards and two touchdowns. His longest reception was for an incredible 80 yards. California also got a significant boost from Lee Qualk, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 115 yards.
Even if they lost, California's defense still kept up the pressure with five sacks. Jefferson-Morgan's QB won't forget Niko Georgagis anytime soon given he sacked him three times. Georgagis also set a new season high mark in total tackles with 18.
Meanwhile, a win for Laurel just wasn't in the cards on Friday as the team wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They came up short against Neshannock, falling 27-7. The Spartans haven't had much luck with the Lancers recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Tyler Shearer put forth a good effort for the losing side as he picked up 151 receiving yards. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, picking up a sack and making three total tackles.
California's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 7-3. As for Laurel, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 5-5.
Friday's match might be decided in the trenches. California has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 304.1 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Laurel, though, as they've been averaging only 94. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
California lost to Laurel on the road by a decisive 15-0 margin in their previous meeting back in September of 2019. Can California avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
