After flying high against Kaufer last Friday, Santa Maria came back down to earth. The Cougars received a blow on Thursday as they fell 42-26 to the La Villa Cardinals. The contest marked the Cougars' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Despite the loss, Santa Maria still got an impressive performance from Daniel Martinez, who rushed for 217 yards and three scores while picking up 10.3 yards per carry. Martinez showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 66 yards.
It was another big night for Isaiah Felix, who rushed for 131 yards and a pair of TDs on only 12 carries, and also threw for 146 yards and one touchdown on only 13 passes for La Villa. Felix is also on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in each of the last three games he's played.

Cougars
10/02/25 vs La Villa | 26-42 |
09/26/25 vs Kaufer | 70-14 |
09/19/25 @ Woodsboro | 52-16 |
09/12/25 vs Monte Alto | 60-0 |
08/29/25 @ La Villa | 45-50 |
Santa Maria moved to 3-2 with that defeat, which also ended their three-game winning streak. As for La Villa, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 5-1.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming matchups. Santa Maria will challenge Refugio at 7:30 p.m. on the 10th. The Cougars will need to watch out since the Bobcats have now posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season. As for La Villa, they will square off against Woodsboro at 7:00 p.m. on the 10th. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 1,027 yards in their previous games.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps