Two dominant signal callers in Zaiden Davis and Micah Takahashi are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Centennial Hawks will face off against the Rio Rancho Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Centennial knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past ten matches -- so hopefully Rio Rancho likes a good challenge.
Centennial is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Las Cruces, who was ranked fifth in their home state at the time (Centennial was ranked second). Centennial took down Las Cruces 42-24 last Friday.
Centennial had a senior duo take command as Davis rushed for 231 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 10.0 yards per carry and Rudy Rios gained 149 total yards and three touchdowns. What's more, Rios also racked up 147 rushing yards, the most he's had since back in September.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Centennial was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 429 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 182 rushing yards in 14 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Centennial's defense made their presence known, laying out Gunnar Guardiola. three times. Joseph Bitar was especially locked on to Las Cruces' QB and sacked him twice. Bitar has been hot , having also posted five or more total tackles the last five times he's played.
Meanwhile, with a playoff game on the line, Rio Rancho rose to the challenge on Friday. They claimed a resounding 47-17 win over the Matadors. Considering the Rams have won four contests by more than 27 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Rio Rancho's victory bumped their record up to 7-4. As for Centennial, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-0.
Centennial strolled past Rio Rancho when the teams last played back in September by a score of 43-27. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Takahashi, who rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries, and also threw for 53 yards and a touchdown. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Centennial still be able to contain Takahashi? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
