The Patrick Henry Patriots will face off against the Escondido Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Patrick Henry will be strutting in after a victory while Escondido will be coming in after a defeat.
Escondido is hoping to do what West Hills couldn't on Friday: put an end to Patrick Henry's winning streak, which now stands at three games. Patrick Henry simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat West Hills 49-14 at home. The Patriots might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matchups by 29 points or more this season.
Patrick Henry's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Cody Cappelletti led the charge by rushing for 129 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries. Cappelletti's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his sixth straight game with at least 124 rushing yards dating back to last season. Another passer making a difference was Eli Ruiz, who threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes.
Meanwhile, after some red-hot attacks on offense in their last three games, Escondido finally came back down to earth on Friday. They were dealt a 49-12 loss at the hands of Oceanside. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 413th, while the Pirates are ranked 149th).
Despite the defeat, Escondido saw an underclassman step up: Caden Thompson threw for 202 yards and a touchdown while completing 80% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. A healthy portion of that aerial production (93 yards to be exact) went to Josh Gonzales.
Patrick Henry's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Escondido, their loss was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 2-2.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Patrick Henry has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 229.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Escondido struggles in that department as they've been averaging 162.5. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Patrick Henry was able to grind out a solid victory over Escondido when the teams last played back in September of 2023, winning 45-34. Does Patrick Henry have another victory up their sleeve, or will Escondido turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
