Bishop Manogue dropped to 1-2 on Friday, ending the team's six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season. They fell 28-23 to the Rocklin Thunder. The Miners lost against the Thunder in their previous head to head back in August of 2024, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 48-17 score last time.
Brandon Mann and Nate Simmons certainly did their best on Friday to avoid the loss. Mann threw for 185 yards and three TDs, while Simmons picked up 133 receiving yards and three scores. Amir McGruder helped Mann out on the ground, rushing for 89 yards, while also picking up 44 receiving yards.
While Bishop Manogue came up short, they sure didn't make it easy for Rocklin: they limited their QB to completion percentage of just 38.9%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from three players: McGruder, Evan Escovedo, and Kole Cronin, who each logged one passes deflected. Bishop Manogue wasn't nearly as limited: they posted one of 59.4%.
As for Rocklin, their victory was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 2-0. Those road wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 11.0 points on average over those games.
A big part of Rocklin's victory came down to the chemistry between Reeve Slone and his top target Connor Bow. Slone threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns on only 18 passes while Bow picked up 140 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. Those 140 receiving yards gave Bow a new career-high.
Looking ahead, Bishop Manogue will challenge Pittsburg at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. As for Rocklin, they will square off against Lincoln at 7:15 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
