Football Preview: Walnut Mustangs vs. Rowland Raiders
The Walnut Mustangs are taking a road trip to challenge the Rowland Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Walnut is headed into the matchup having just suffered their biggest loss since September 29, 2023 on Friday. They had to suffer through a 42-7 loss at the hands of Sonora. The loss was the Mustangs' first of the season.
Meanwhile, Rowland ended up a good deal behind Wilson on Thursday and lost 36-22. The loss was the Raiders' first of the season.
Despite the defeat, Rowland got top-tier performance from Ethan Lopez, who picked up 114 receiving yards and two touchdowns. That's the most total yards Lopez has posted since back in September of 2023. Ezekiel McGlory also played a phenomenal game despite the final result: he picked up 82 receiving yards.
Rowland wouldn't let Wilson keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Rowland can thank Aidan Opatkiewicz and Bryce Johnson for forcing both of them. Opatkiewicz didn't just play on offense: he also forced a fumble, made three total tackles, and defended two passes.
Walnut's loss dropped their record down to 2-1. As for Rowland, their defeat dropped their record down to an identical 2-1.
Walnut didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Rowland when the teams last played back in September of 2023, but they still walked away with a 20-14 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Lopez, who picked up 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Walnut still be able to contain Lopez? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
