Football Preview: Yucaipa Thunderbirds vs. Cajon Cowboys
Yucaipa hasn't had much luck against Cajon recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Yucaipa Thunderbirds will challenge the Cajon Cowboys at 7:00 p.m. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 907 yards in their previous games.
Last Thursday, Yucaipa didn't have too much trouble with Redlands as they won 38-20. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Thunderbirds.
It was another big night for Deace Turner, who rushed for 185 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.7 yards per carry, and also threw for 56 yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Connor White also helped with two touchdowns in total.
Yucaipa was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 394 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Redlands only rushed for 91.
Yucaipa wouldn't let Redlands keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Yucaipa can thank Dean Kirkland and Evan Darling for forcing both of them. Darling is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last three games he's played.
Meanwhile, Cajon had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 43 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They claimed a resounding 44-13 victory over the Blackhawks. Considering the Cowboys have won five games by more than 19 points this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Brandon Rivers and Evan Powell were among the main playmakers for Cajon as the former rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries and the latter threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes. Another player making a difference was Hector Garcia, who picked up 34 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Yucaipa's record now sits at 6-3. As for Cajon, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Yucaipa has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 294.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Cajon struggles in that department as they've been averaging 189.4. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Yucaipa suffered a grim 32-8 defeat to Cajon when the teams last played back in October of 2023. Can Yucaipa avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
