Football Preview: Duarte Falcons vs. Mark Keppel Aztecs
After two games on the road, Duarte is heading back home. After each having a week off, they and the Mark Keppel Aztecs will dust off their jerseys to take on one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Duarte will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each game than the last.
Duarte is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Silver Valley, posting a 51-24 win on the road. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
It was another big night for Avenn Ortiz, who threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.1 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 77 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Duarte was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 214 rushing yards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved they're rushing yard total in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Mark Keppel was not able to break out of their rough patch last Friday as the team picked up their 14th straight defeat dating back to last season. They took a blow against Azusa, falling 40-8.
Even if they lost, Mark Keppel's defensive line still kept up the pressure with three sacks. Derek Martinez was especially locked on to Azusa's QB and sacked him twice.
Duarte's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Mark Keppel, their loss dropped their record down to 0-4.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Duarte has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 158.2 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Mark Keppel, though, as they've been averaging only 39.5. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Everything came up roses for Duarte against Mark Keppel in their previous matchup back in September of 2022, as the squad secured a 56-8 victory. Does Duarte have another victory up their sleeve, or will Mark Keppel turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
