The Molina Jaguars will be playing in front of their home fans against the Richland Royals at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing isn't great for Molina: they have been struggling with four straight losses at home, while Richland has snatched up five consecutive wins on the road.
After only three points in their last contest, Molina made sure to put some points up on the board against Sunset on Saturday. Molina simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Sunset 45-8 on the road.
Adan Ochoa was a one-man wrecking crew for Molina as he threw for 288 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 11.1 yards per attempt. The team also got some help courtesy of Na?Quinton Vaughn, who gained 175 total yards.
Meanwhile, Richland's game on Friday was all tied up 21-21 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They came out on top against Mansfield Timberview by a score of 37-27.
Richland's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Michael Turner, who rushed for 165 yards and three touchdowns. Turner hasn't dropped below 100 rushing yards for five straight games. Another player making a difference was Drew Kates, who threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns on only 17 passes.
Their wins bumped Molina to 4-5 and Richland to 9-0.
Molina was dealt a bruising 62-8 loss at the hands of Richland when the teams last played back in November of 2022. Thankfully for Molina, Bryce Morton (who threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.5 yards per attempt, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
