Football Preview: Murrieta Mesa Rams vs. Ontario Christian Knights
Murrieta Mesa has won four straight games at home, while Ontario Christian has won four straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Murrieta Mesa Rams will welcome the Ontario Christian Knights at 7:00 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Friday.
Murrieta Mesa is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Santiago: they outscored them in every quarter. Murrieta Mesa blew past Santiago 29-3 on Friday. Given the Rams' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 175th, while the Sharks are ranked 494th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Artyon Celestine continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 181 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.5 yards per carry. He is becoming a predictor of Murrieta Mesa's success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is undefeated (and 1-4 when he doesn't).
Murrieta Mesa was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 316 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 201 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
Murrieta Mesa didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Nathaniel Weideman, Jesse Wilhite, and Derrick Hart picked up one apiece. Weideman is also on a roll when it comes to defended passes, as he's now defended at least one in the last three games he's played. Another thorn in Santiago's side was Isaiah Casillas, who picked up 0.5 sacks, made seven total tackles (4.0 for loss), and defended a pass.
Meanwhile, while Ontario Christian put up some points on Friday, the same can't be said for Valley Christian. Ontario Christian claimed a resounding 29-0 win over Valley Christian. The Knights might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matchups by 26 points or more this season.
Zander Lewis was his usual excellent self, rushing for 170 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.4 yards per carry, and also picking up 107 receiving yards and a touchdown. He showed off some serious burst, connecting on a big catch for 53 yards. Another player making a difference was Daniel Mielke Ii, who threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns on only 19 passes.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Ontario Christian's defense and their six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Zeke Escalante and Kellan Kirkpatrick, who racked up four sacks between them.
Murrieta Mesa's record is now 6-4. As for Ontario Christian, their record now sits at an identical 6-4.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Murrieta Mesa has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 178.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Ontario Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 204.7. It's looking like Friday's contest 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
