The Carpinteria Warriors will venture away from home to challenge the Grace Lancers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Carpinteria took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They blew past Santa Clara 55-6. Considering the Warriors' offense had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Carpinteria relied on the efforts of Chris Jaimes, who gained 98 total yards and three touchdowns, and Isaac Neri, who rushed for 57 yards and one TD on only five carries. Another big playmaker for the Warriors was Drew Filippini, who returned a punt for a touchdown.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 19 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Filippini, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter and that's exactly how it played out for Grace on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Del Sol out of the water with a 53-6 final score. The matchup marked the Lancers' most dominant win of the season.
Grace's win came from a few key players Carpinteria will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jake Williams, who rushed for 172 yards and a pair of scores on only 11 carries, and also picked up 39 receiving yards. His longest rush was for an impressive 57 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Landon Cooper was another key player, gaining 127 total yards and three touchdowns.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Grace was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 267 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.
Grace didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Williams and Tristan Minsky. Grace received some extra help from Williams, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
The victory snapped Carpinteria's losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 2-3 record. As for Grace, the win got them back to even at 3-3.
Carpinteria took a serious blow against Grace in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, falling 48-0. Can the Warriors avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
