The Troy Warriors will head out to square off against the Canyon Comanches at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Troy has five straight victories, Canyon has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Friday, Troy blew past Santa Ana, posting a 48-19 win. Given the Warriors' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 170th, while the Saints are ranked 654th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Troy's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jackson Hintz, who rushed for 119 yards and two TDs on only 14 carries. Mason Mays was another key signal caller, throwing for 207 yards and three touchdowns while completing 85.7% of his passes.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Troy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 240 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 189 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Troy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Andrew Green and Mason Avey.
Meanwhile, Canyon came up short against Irvine on Thursday and fell 29-21.
Troy will have to contain Alexander Lundsberg as he made an impact in Canyon's last game. He threw for 162 yards and a pair of TDs.
Canyon's defeat dropped their record down to 2-5. As for Troy, their win bumped their record up to 6-1.
Thursday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Troy has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 267.6 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Canyon, though, as they've been averaging only 76.3 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Everything came up roses for Troy against Canyon in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 58-23 victory. In that game, the Warriors amassed a halftime lead of 51-12, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Thursday.
