Football Preview: Laguna Creek Cardinals vs. Elk Grove Thundering Herd
The Laguna Creek Cardinals will face off against the Elk Grove Thundering Herd at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Laguna Creek is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 26.1 points per game this season.
If Laguna Creek beats Elk Grove with 35 points on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. In a tight game that could have gone either way, Laguna Creek made off with a 35-34 victory over Cosumnes Oaks. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cardinals.
Armon Thorntona was a one-man wrecking crew for Laguna Creek as he rushed for 195 yards and three touchdowns. That's the most rushing yards Thorntona has posted since back in September of 2023.
Meanwhile, Elk Grove came tearing into Friday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 35 points) and they left with even more momentum. They took down the Panthers 22-7. Given the Thundering Herd's advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 186th, while the Panthers are ranked 383rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
David Hale was his usual excellent self, rushing for 95 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries. He is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last five games he's played dating back to last season.
Elk Grove was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 354 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 222 rushing yards in eight consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Elk Grove wouldn't let Chico keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Elk Grove can thank Lucan Amituanai and V'Anthony Gonzalez for forcing both of them.
Laguna Creek's record is now 3-4. As for Elk Grove, they pushed their record up to 4-2 with the win, which was their third straight on the road.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Laguna Creek has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 152.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Elk Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging 356.7. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
