The Monticello Panthers will head out on the road to challenge the O'Neill Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Monticello is no doubt hoping to put an end to a five-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Having struggled with nine losses in a row dating back to last season, Monticello finally turned things around against Liberty on Saturday. They claimed a resounding 54-16 victory over the Indians at home. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Panthers considering their two-point performance the match before.
Quenten Liciaga had an outrageously good game as he picked up 53 receiving yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown. He also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, picking up a sack and making three total tackles in addition to snagging two interceptions. Orrin Hutchinson was in the mix as well, providing Monticello with a touchdown.
Monticello's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Liciaga and Nick Soeman. That's the most rushing yards Liciaga has posted since back in October of 2023. Cristopher Collado was another major factor on D, picking up two sacks, forcing a fumble, and forcing a fumble.
Meanwhile, O'Neill came up short against Spackenkill on Friday and fell 20-13. The Raiders have struggled against the Spartans recently, as their game on Friday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Monticello's win ended a five-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 1-2. As for O'Neill, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-2.
Monticello was taken down by O'Neill 35-6 in their previous matchup back in April of 2021. Thankfully for Monticello, Kyle West (who threw for 307 yards and five touchdowns while completing 88.9% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps