Two dominant backs in Kino Lorona and Thomas Rodriguez are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Hayden Lobos will face off against the Bagdad Sultans at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Hayden comes in on 23 and Bagdad on eight.
Hayden is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They claimed a resounding 53-6 victory over St. David. The result was nothing new for the Lobos, who have now won ten matches by 30 points or more so far this season.
Hayden's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Lorona, who picked up 130 receiving yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Lorona is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last seven games he's played. Another signal caller making a difference was Paul Gaither, who threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns while completing 83.3% of his passes.
Hayden was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 247 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 189 rushing yards in 16 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
One reason for the win was Hayden's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Mario Hong was especially locked on to St. David's QB and sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, Bagdad faced Mogollon in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. Bagdad blew past Mogollon 48-26. Considering the Sultans have won nine games by more than 21 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Dj Gramanz was his usual excellent self, rushing for 173 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 10.2 yards per carry. His longest rush was for an incredible 71 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Rodriguez, who rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries.
Bagdad didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Jace Myers, Levi Alfred, Rowdy Hooper, and Destry Owings picked up one apiece. Bagdad got some further help from Carson Wood: he made eight total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Bagdad's victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-1. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 33.1 points. As for Hayden, their win bumped their record up to 11-0.
Saturday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Hayden has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 269 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Bagdad struggles in that department as they've been averaging 234. It's looking like Saturday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Hayden beat Bagdad 30-20 in their previous matchup back in September. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Bagdad's Ezrah Aguilar, who threw for 203 yards and a touchdown, and also punched in two touchdowns on the ground. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Hayden still be able to contain Aguilar? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
