Football Preview: Murrieta Mesa Rams vs. Santiago Sharks
The Murrieta Mesa Rams will square off against the Santiago Sharks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Murrieta Mesa will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Last Friday, Murrieta Mesa strolled past King with points to spare, taking the game 28-13.
It was another big night for Artyon Celestine, who rushed for 170 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.4 yards per carry, and also picked up 47 receiving yards and two touchdowns. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 100.4 rushing yards per game.
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 Daniel Ritchie, Kian Hendricks, and Derrick Hart picked up one apiece. Isaiah Casillas was another major factor on D, picking up 2.5 sacks, forcing a fumble, and making 12 total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Murrieta Mesa was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 222 rushing yards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their rushing yard total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Santiago). They took their game on Friday with ease, bagging a 56-15 victory over Corona. With that win, the Sharks brought their scoring average up to 29 points per game.
Santiago got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Austin Ellis out in front who picked up 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The team also got some help courtesy of Oscar Acosta, who threw for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Santiago wouldn't let Corona keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Martin Salgado Jr., Ryder Legere, and Floyd Watson Iii picked up one apiece.
Murrieta Mesa now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Santiago, they moved to 2-7 with that win, which also ended their three-game losing streak.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Murrieta Mesa has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 162.9 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Santiago, though, as they've been averaging only 77.6. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Murrieta Mesa beat Santiago 34-21 in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Ellis, who picked up 112 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Murrieta Mesa still be able to contain Ellis? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
