Santiago and Loara are an even 3-3 against one another since October of 2018, but not for long. The Santiago Cavaliers will square off against the Loara Saxons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Santiago is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Anaheim on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Santiago was beaten by Anaheim 42-6. The Cavaliers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 27-0.
Meanwhile, Loara was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their 18th straight defeat dating back to last season. They were outmatched by La Quinta on the road and fell 47-14. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Saxons have suffered against the Aztecs since September 15, 2017.
Loara's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Jorge Rodriguez, who gained 93 total yards and a touchdown, and Ariel Olvera, who picked up 51 receiving yards and a touchdown. The dominant performance also gave Rodriguez a new career-high in rushing yards.
This is the second loss in a row for Santiago and nudges their season record down to 3-5. As for Loara, their loss dropped their record down to 0-8.
Friday's match might be decided in the trenches. Santiago has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 152.9 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Loara, though, as they've been averaging only 65.6. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Santiago was able to grind out a solid victory over Loara in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, winning 14-3. Will Santiago repeat their success, or does Loara have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
