Football Preview: Sonoma Valley Dragons vs. Novato Hornets
Two dominant backs in Cayden Waldrop and John Demartini are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Sonoma Valley Dragons will be playing at home against the Novato Hornets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Novato is hoping to do what San Rafael couldn't last Friday: put an end to Sonoma Valley's winning streak, which now stands at six games. Sonoma Valley claimed a resounding 42-7 win over San Rafael on the road. The Dragons' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
A big part of Sonoma Valley's victory came down to the chemistry between Dalan Lopata and his top target Hudson Giarritta. Lopata threw for 290 yards and four touchdowns while completing 78.9% of his passes while Giarritta picked up 176 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Giarritta showed off some serious burst, connecting on a big catch for 57 yards. Sonoma Valley also got a significant boost from Waldrop, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 108 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Sonoma Valley's defense and their four sacks. Luis Botello was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up threehimself. He also set a new season high mark in total tackles with six.
Meanwhile, Novato entered their tilt with Terra Linda on Thursday with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. They blew past the Trojans, posting a 37-7 win at home. With that victory, the Hornets brought their scoring average up to 26 points per game.
It was another big night for Demartini, who rushed for 212 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.9 yards per carry, and also picked up 55 receiving yards. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Novato was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 294 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Novato didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Sheamus Cordrey and Sal Carrow.
Sonoma Valley's win bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Novato, they pushed their record up to 5-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Sonoma Valley has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 166.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Novato struggles in that department as they've been averaging 187.5. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
