Two dominant wideouts in Darian Charles and Gunnar Marsh are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Rodriguez Mustangs are taking a road trip to take on the Christian Brothers Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Rodriguez has given up an average of 26.9 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Two weeks ago, Rodriguez came up short against Pioneer and fell 36-26. The Mustangs have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite their loss, Rodriguez saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Gideon Mayo, who picked up 131 receiving yards and one touchdown, was perhaps the best of all. Mayo was no stranger to the big play, cutting upfield on a catch that went for 62 yards.
Meanwhile, while it was all tied up 21-21 at halftime, Christian Brothers was not quite Rio Americano's equal in the second half on Friday. They fell just short of the Raiders by a score of 24-21. While losing is never fun, the Falcons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 468th, while the Raiders are ranked 177th).
Rodriguez will have to contain Deakon Holden as he made an impact in Christian Brothers' last game. He threw for 120 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 80% of his passes.
While Christian Brothers came up short, they sure didn't make it easy for Rio Americano: they limited their QB to completion percentage of just 38.9%. The team can thank Marsh for the heroic effort on defense: he. Given Holden's standout performance, it's clear Rio Americano's secondary just wasn't on the same level.
Christian Brothers didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Robert Beverly III and Gio Destefano.
Rodriguez's record is now 3-7. As for Christian Brothers, their record now sits at 1-9.
Friday's game might be decided in the trenches. Rodriguez has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 172.2 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Christian Brothers, though, as they've been averaging only 82.1 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Rodriguez suffered a grim 42-20 defeat to Christian Brothers when the teams last played back in September of 2023. Can the Mustangs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
