Two dominant backs in Makhi Czaykowski and George Shelledy are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Beckman Patriots are taking a road trip to square off against the Sunny Hills Lancers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Beckman's offense will try to repeat the strong performance it gave on Friday, when they got past Fullerton's usually-dominant defense. The Patriots blew past the Indians 34-14. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Patriots just coasted through the last quarter.
Among those leading the charge was Noah Nam, who threw for 200 yards and one touchdown, and also rushed for 43 yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Beckman was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 261 rushing yards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their rushing yard total in three consecutive contests.
Beckman's defense stepped up as well, laying out Sergio Andrade three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Enzo Giuliano, Dylan Garrow, and Roy Chaya, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Meanwhile, Sunny Hills waltzed into their game on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came out on top against the Vikings by a score of 28-21.
A big part of Sunny Hills' victory came down to the chemistry between Mikeal Khan and his top target Kruz Sandle. Khan threw for 200 yards and three TDs while Sandle picked up 143 receiving yards and one score. With that strong performance, Sandle is now averaging an impressive 100.8 receiving yards per game.
Sunny Hills' record is now 5-1. As for Beckman, the win got them back to even at 3-3.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Beckman has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 182 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Sunny Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging 159.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Beckman against Sunny Hills when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 28-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.