Garfield has enjoyed a five-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Birmingham Patriots at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. One thing working in Garfield's favor is that they have now posted big point totals every time they've taken the field this season.
Garfield had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They took their game at home on Friday with ease, bagging a 42-6 win over Gardena. Considering Garfield has won ten contests by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
It was another big night for Damian Cornejo, who rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.9 yards per carry. Dominic Vasquez made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Meanwhile, Birmingham stacked a tenth blowout onto their ever-increasing hoard on Friday. They claimed a resounding 35-6 victory over Carson on the road. Winning may never get old, but Birmingham sure are getting used to it with their seventh in a row.
Birmingham's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ronnell Hewitt led the charge by rushing for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Kingston Tisdell was another key contributor, throwing for 185 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 passes.
Garfield has yet to lose a game at home this season, leaving them with a 11-1 record. It's not like the team was facing easy opposition over that stretch either, as it included 10-1 Franklin and 10-2 Eagle Rock (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 60.3% over those games). As for Birmingham, their victory bumped their record up to 10-2.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's matchup: Garfield has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 234.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Birmingham struggles in that department as they've been averaging 158.8 per game. It's looking like Saturday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches. Come back here after the game to get analysis of the match and other football content.
Garfield was taken down by Birmingham 49-13 in their previous meeting back in November of 2022. Thankfully for Garfield, Naiim Morgan (who rushed for 297 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 18.6 yards per carry) 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.
