The Patrick Henry Patriots will square off against the Escondido Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Patrick Henry will be strutting in after a win while Escondido will be coming in after a defeat.
Escondido is hoping to do what West Hills couldn't on Friday: put an end to Patrick Henry's winning streak, which now stands at three games. Patrick Henry blew past West Hills 49-14 at home. The Patriots might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by 29 points or more this season.
Patrick Henry got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Cody Cappelletti out in front who rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries. Cappelletti's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his sixth straight game with at least 124 rushing yards dating back to last season. Eli Ruiz was another key passer, throwing for 272 yards and three touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Patrick Henry was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 206 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 174 rushing yards in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, after some red-hot attacks on offense in their last three matchups, Escondido finally came back down to earth on Friday. They were outmatched by Oceanside at home and fell 49-12. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 413th, while the Pirates are ranked 149th).
Despite the loss, Escondido saw an underclassman step up: Caden Thompson threw for 202 yards and a touchdown while completing 80% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. A healthy portion of that aerial production (93 yards to be exact) went to Josh Gonzales.
Patrick Henry's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Escondido, their defeat was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 2-2.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Patrick Henry has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 218.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Escondido struggles in that department as they've been averaging 162.5. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Patrick Henry was able to grind out a solid victory over Escondido in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, winning 45-34. Does Patrick Henry have another victory up their sleeve, or will Escondido turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
