Two dominant backs in Brandon Gilliam and Bronson Hogue are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Rancho Verde Mustangs will challenge the JW North Huskies at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Rancho Verde's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Tahquitz 30-0 at home. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 216th, while the Titans are ranked 483rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Gilliam was his usual excellent self, rushing for 209 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.4 yards per carry.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Rancho Verde was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 252 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
Meanwhile, after only six points in their last match, JW North made sure to put some points up on the board against Redlands East Valley last Friday. JW North came out on top in a nail-biter against Redlands East Valley , sneaking past 38-35. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Huskies as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
It was another big night for Hogue, who rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns, and also picked up 54 receiving yards. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Another player making a difference was Anthony Zavala, who threw for 191 yards and a touchdown.
JW North's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Zachary Perez and Camron Whitehead. With that strong performance, Whitehead is now averaging an impressive 5.2 total tackles per game. JW North got some further help from Tyleke Barra: he made ten total tackles and defended three passes.
Rancho Verde's record is now 2-3. As for JW North, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-4.
Everything came up roses for Rancho Verde against JW North in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 47-14 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rancho Verde since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
