The Elk Grove Thundering Herd are taking a road trip to challenge the Monterey Trail Mustangs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Elk Grove easily dispatched Sheldon last Friday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Thundering Herd fell just short of Pleasant Grove by a score of 10-7 on Friday. Despite 78 more yards than the Eagles, the Thundering Herd couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Elk Grove's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Jason Ballesteros, who rushed for 161 yards, and Chase Dyer, who rushed for 51 yards and one TD on only five carries.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Monterey Trail over Cosumnes Oaks in every quarter on their way to victory on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Mustangs blew the Wolfpack out of the water with a 52-0 final score. The result was nothing new for the Mustangs, who have now won four matchups by 21 points or more so far this season.
Elk Grove better focus on containing Kaden Love and Odie Jefferson as the pair were huge in Monterey Trail's win. Love rushed for 45 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Jefferson rushed for 59 yards and two scores on only six carries. What's more, Love posted two rushing touchdowns, the most he's had since back in August. Terron Robinson was in the mix too, providing Monterey Trail with one TD.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Monterey Trail's defense and their six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Onyeka Ogbodo and Simeon Libby, who racked up four sacks between them. Monterey Trail received some extra help from Robinson, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Monterey Trail is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 37.5 points over those games. As for Elk Grove, they now have a losing record of 4-5.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Elk Grove has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 265.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Monterey Trail struggles in that department as they've been averaging 253.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Elk Grove and Monterey Trail were neck-and-neck in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, but Elk Grove came up empty-handed after a 21-20 loss. Can the Thundering Herd avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
