The Palma Chieftains will take on the Soquel Knights at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few points on average, (Palma: 13.4, Soquel: 10.2) so any points scored will be well earned.
Palma's usually-dominant defense will be looking to make up for Friday's struggle, when Salinas offense got past them. Palma received a blow on Friday as they fell 39-25 to Salinas. The loss continues a trend for the Chieftains in their matchups with the Cowboys: they've now lost seven in a row.
Palma's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Eli Dukes, who rushed for 193 yards and a touchdown, and Isaak Hernandez, who rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Palma was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 291 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 187 rushing yards in 11 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Soquel). They blew past Scotts Valley, posting a 63-3 victory on the road. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 60th, while the Falcons are ranked 653rd), the result last Saturday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Soquel to victory, but perhaps none more so than Keyandre Bailey, who rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns on only six carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyreis Lundy, who rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.
Palma's loss dropped their record down to 3-2. As for Soquel, the win got them back to even at 2-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Palma has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 262.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Soquel struggles in that department as they've been averaging 164.2. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Palma came up short against Soquel when the teams last played back in October of 2023, falling 14-7. Can Palma avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
