The Cortez Colts will play host again on Friday to welcome the Mountainside Wolves, where kickoff is scheduled at 7:00 p.m. Mountainside took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Cortez, who comes in off a win.
Cortez is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Highland Prep 43-12 at home last Friday. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Colts considering their six-point performance the game before.
Michael Anthony and Jamerrius Anthony were among the main playmakers for Cortez as the former rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries and the latter rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.6 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave Jamerrius a new career-high in rushing yards. Julian Cabrera made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Cortez was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 308 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Cortez's defense made their presence known, laying out Gil Camacho. three times. Martin Barreras was especially locked on to Highland Prep's QB and sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, Mountainside entered their contest against Glendale Prep Academy on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Mountainside fell to Glendale Prep Academy 26-21. The Wolves have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Mountainside might have lost, but man, Daniel Gregg was a machine: he rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.5 yards per carry, and also threw for 89 yards and a touchdown. Gregg also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making five total tackles (2.0 for loss) and defending a pass.
Mountainside's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Tyler Fry.
Cortez's victory bumped their record up to 2-3. As for Mountainside, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Cortez has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 169.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mountainside struggles in that department as they've been averaging 151. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Cortez against Mountainside in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, as the team secured a 42-0 win. Will Cortez repeat their success, or does Mountainside have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
