The Chico Panthers are taking a road trip to challenge the Yuba City Honkers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Yuba City took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Chico, who comes in off a win.
Chico took a loss when they played away from home back in August, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed last Friday. They were the clear victor by a 31-6 margin over Antelope.
Zaiveon Patrick had a dynamite game for Chico, rushing for 87 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries. Emilio Vierra got in on the action as well, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Chico's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. Vierra picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 35 points the game before, Yuba City was a bit more limited in their match on Friday. They took a 22-12 hit to the loss column at the hands of Pleasant Valley. The Honkers have struggled against the Vikings recently, as their game on Friday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the defeat, Yuba City had strong showings from Ryan Corum, who rushed for 100 yards on only 12 carries, and Jordan Martinez, who rushed for 53 yards.
Corum wasn't the only one working in the rushing yards department: Yuba City was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 203 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 203 rushing yards in three consecutive contests.
The victory got Chico back to even at 1-1. As for Yuba City, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 2-1.
Chico strolled past Yuba City in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 by a score of 36-21. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Yuba City's Dhiraj (DJ) Atwal, who threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Chico to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
