McLane hasn't had much luck against Sunnyside recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The McLane Highlanders will welcome the Sunnyside Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Sunnyside is hoping to do what Santa Maria couldn't on Friday: put an end to McLane's winning streak, which now stands at three games. McLane blew past Santa Maria 55-0 at home. Given the Highlanders' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 267th, while the Saints are ranked 595th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
McLane relied on the efforts of Noah Zamora, who threw for 303 yards and six touchdowns while completing 90% of his passes, and Dimareea Banks, who rushed for 171 yards and a touchdown on only five carries. Banks really tore up the turf during one magnificent 85-yard run. The team also got some help courtesy of Jazz Boyland, who rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: McLane was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 296 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since was before the start of last season.
Meanwhile, Sunnyside never let their opponents score last Thursday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Ridgeview 33-0 at home. The win was just business as usual For the Wildcats, who after three games remain undefeated this season.
Donta Hart had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 106 yards on only 11 carries, and also picked up 63 receiving yards. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards.
McLane's victory bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Sunnyside, their win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 3-0.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. McLane has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 303 passing yards per game. Sunnyside, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 216.3 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Thursday? There's only one way to find out.
McLane was taken down by Sunnyside 43-8 in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. Will McLane have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
