Football Preview: Sunnyside Wildcats vs. Hoover Patriots
Sunnyside is 10-0 against Hoover since October of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Sunnyside Wildcats will head out on the road to face off against the Hoover Patriots at 7:30 p.m. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
If Sunnyside beats Hoover with 44 points on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. Everything went Sunnyside's way against Roosevelt on Friday as Sunnyside made off with a 44-22 victory. The result was nothing new for the Wildcats, who have now won five contests by 22 points or more so far this season.
Meanwhile, Hoover hadn't done well against Fresno recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Hoover blew past Fresno 42-0 on the road. The Patriots' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Hoover found their leader in underclassman Joel Sepulveda, who picked up 2.5 sacks and made seven total tackles (3.0 for loss). Another big playmaker for Hoover was Keon Hill, who returned a punt for a touchdown.
One reason for the win was Hoover's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for seven sacks. Leading the way was Sepulveda with 2.5. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last nine games he's played dating back to last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Hoover was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 223 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 189 rushing yards in three consecutive games.
Sunnyside pushed their record up to 6-0 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Hoover, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.
Everything came up roses for Sunnyside against Hoover in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, as the squad secured a 58-6 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Sunnyside since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
