After each having a week off, the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers and the Santa Margarita Eagles will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Sierra Canyon is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Loyola: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Trailblazers blew the Cubs out of the water with a 52-3 final score. The Trailblazers' win was nothing new given the team hasn't lost yet this season.
Sierra Canyon's win last Friday was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from De'Markus Barnes, who rushed for 77 yards and a pair of TDs on only six carries, and also picked up 31 receiving yards. Laird Finkel was another key signal caller, throwing for 194 yards and three touchdowns.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Sierra Canyon proved: they limited Loyola to a paltry 2.9 yards per carry. While nine picked up at least one total tackle, Tron Baker stood above the rest. He picked up 74 receiving yards and a pair of scores. That's the most yards per carry they've posted since back in November of 2024.
Sierra Canyon's defense didn't let the opposing QB, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Brayden Tautolo, Richard Wesley, and Spencer Parham, who each picked up one sack apiece. Sierra Canyon received some extra help from Havon Finney Jr., whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Santa Margarita and JSerra Catholic meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again last Friday. The Eagles simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Lions 41-14. The Eagles pushed the score to 41-6 by the end of the third, a deficit the Lions cut but never quite recovered from.
Sierra Canyon better focus on containing Trace Johnson and Jaion Smith as the pair were huge in Santa Margarita's win. Johnson threw for 243 yards and two TDs while completing 81.8% of his passes, while Smith rushed for 127 yards and one touchdown. Those 127 rushing yards gave Smith a new career-high.
Santa Margarita's victory bumped their record up to 7-3. As for Sierra Canyon, their win bumped their record up to 10-0.
Sierra Canyon strolled past Santa Margarita when the teams last played back in November of 2023 by a score of 37-20. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Trailblazers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
