Football Preview: Mendota Aztecs vs. McLane Highlanders
Mendota hasn't had much luck against McLane recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Mendota Aztecs will be playing at home against the McLane Highlanders at 7:30 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
If Mendota beats McLane with 27 points on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. Mendota snuck past Liberty with a 27-21 victory on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Aztecs.
Mendota can attribute much of their success to David Gonzalez, who rushed for 54 yards and two touchdowns.
Mendota's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged four passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Julian Silva and Adam Ochoa. Ochoa also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making a tackle and defending a pass in addition to snagging an interception.
Meanwhile, McLane had to kick off their season on the road last Friday, but they showed no ill effects. They claimed a resounding 40-7 win over Avenal on the road.
Noah Zamora went supernova for McLane, throwing for 285 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 13.0 yards per attempt, and also punching in two touchdowns on the ground. Jazz Boyland was another key player, rushing for 101 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to McLane's defense and their seven sacks. Leading the way was Greg Ramirez and his 3.5. His also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, picking up 3.5 sacks and making six total tackles (4.0 for loss). Another thorn in Avenal's side was Juan Raygoza, who picked up a sack and made five total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Mendota might still be hurting after the 27-3 defeat they got from McLane in their previous matchup back in August of 2023. Can Mendota 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
