Football Game Preview: Lancaster Baptist Eagles vs. Hesperia Christian Patriots + Official Tickets

The Lancaster Baptist Eagles will challenge the Hesperia Christian Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Lancaster Baptist is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They were the clear victors by a 40-20 margin over Polytechnic. The win was nothing new for the Eagles as they're now sitting on four straight.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Hesperia Christian's strategy against Desert Christian on Thursday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Patriots blew the Knights out of the water with a 40-0 final score. The victory continues a trend for the Patriots in their matchups with the Knights: they've now won four in a row.

Hesperia Christian's win came from a few key players Lancaster Baptist will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Noah Griffin, who picked up 131 receiving yards and one TD. He was even better on defense, picking up three sacks, forcing one fumble, and making 11 total tackles (4.0 for loss). Jackson Lake was in the mix as well, providing Hesperia Christian with two touchdowns.

One reason for the win was Hesperia Christian's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for nine sacks. Joseph Kelly led the group effort, picking up 3.5 of those sacks all by himself. He also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with eight. Hesperia Christian received some extra help from Lake, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.

Lancaster Baptist's win bumped their record up to 8-3. As for Hesperia Christian, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 8-3.

Lancaster Baptist took a serious blow against Hesperia Christian when the teams last played back in November of 2022, falling 65-21. Thankfully for the Eagles, Ayden Ortega (who rushed for 127 yards and one score on only eight carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.