Two dominant signal callers in Tim Tanner Jr and Diego Montes are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Sylmar Spartans will be playing at home against the Kennedy Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Sylmar is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Van Nuys just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Friday. They fell just short of the Wolves by a score of 49-46. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Spartans have suffered since September 6, 2024.
The match pitted two dominant signal callers against one another in Tanner Jr and Carlos Herrera. Herrera had a great game and rushed for 229 yards while picking up 12.7 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Tanner Jr was balling out in the loss, throwing for 304 yards and four touchdowns while completing 71.8% of his passes, and also rushing for 37 yards and one TD.
Meanwhile, Kennedy had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They blew past the Pythons 42-7. That 35 point margin sets a new team best for the Cougars this season.
Kennedy's win came from a few key players Sylmar will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Francisco Ceja, who picked up 115 receiving yards and a pair of scores. What's more, he posted two receiving touchdowns, the most he's had since back in October of 2024. Another player making a difference was Josue Sandoval, who gained 68 total yards and a touchdown.
Sylmar's loss dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Kennedy, their victory bumped their record up to 5-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Sylmar has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 165.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Kennedy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 201.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Sylmar was taken down by Kennedy 56-28 in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Montes, who rushed for 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only ten carries, and also threw for 148 yards and four TDs while completing 72.2% of his passes. Now that the Spartans know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
