Two dominant backs in Chuck Van Dyke and Javon Bell are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. Paradise Honors are taking a road trip to take on Peoria at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Paradise Honors is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Northwest Christian on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Panthers came up short against the Crusaders, falling 42-21. The Panthers were down 35-14 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Peoria). They really took it to Thunderbird for the full four quarters, racking up a 58-26 victory. With the Panthers ahead 35-12 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Peoria's win came from a few key players Paradise Honors will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Cristian Zarate, who rushed for 137 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in September. David Rojas was another key player, picking up 115 receiving yards and two scores.
Peoria was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 372 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Peoria didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. Christopher Barnett led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself. Peoria is undefeated when Marcell Colenberg posts one or more interceptions, but 2-3 otherwise.
Peoria's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 37.8 points over those games. As for Paradise Honors, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-5 record this season.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Paradise Honors has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 215.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Peoria struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 160.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Paradise Honors might still be hurting after the 29-7 loss they got from Peoria in their previous meeting back in October. Can Paradise Honors avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
