The Kennedy Thunderbirds will head out to square off against the Golden West Trailblazers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Kennedy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They blew past Paso Robles 63-28. Given the Thunderbirds' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 184th, while the Bearcats are ranked 461st) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Kennedy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jamison Membreve, who rushed for 147 yards and three TDs on only nine carries. Membreve's longest rush was for an impressive 56 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. The team also got some help courtesy of Cristian Hernandez, who rushed for 93 yards and a pair of scores on only five carries.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Kennedy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 413 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 265 rushing yards in nine consecutive matchups.
Kennedy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Espn Cantu. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Golden West owes their defense a big pat on the back after their performance on Friday. Everything went their way against Mission Oak as they made off with a 21-0 win. The Trailblazers haven't had any issues with the Hawks recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Kennedy better keep an eye on Bre Marroquin. He was instrumental in Golden West's win, rushing for 70 yards and one touchdown, while also picking up 39 receiving yards. Jayden Najera was another key player, having thrown for 298 yards.
Kennedy's record now sits at 8-3. As for Golden West, their record is now 9-2.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Kennedy has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 330.8 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Golden West has preferred to attack from the air: they average 304.8 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
