After each having a week off, the Maranatha Minutemen and the Linfield Christian Lions will shake off the cobwebs and challenge one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Maranatha will be looking to keep their eight-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.
Last Friday, Maranatha was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 35-31 to La Canada. The Minutemen gained 122 more yards on the day, but it was the Spartans that made the best use of them.
Defeat or not, Maranatha got some senior leadership from Miles Omalley and Luke Mcnulty. Omalley rushed for 150 yards on only 12 carries, while Mcnulty threw for 229 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes.
Meanwhile, Linfield Christian took a blow against Norwalk last Friday, falling 65-34.
Linfield Christian's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Thomas Paschal, who threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns, and Carson Drummond, who picked up 104 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Drummond got the majority of those receiving yards when he pulled down a pass and took off for a gain of 80 yards. Micah Little was in the mix too, providing Linfield Christian with two touchdowns.
Maranatha's defeat dropped their record down to 3-2. As for Linfield Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 1-3.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Maranatha has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 192.5 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Linfield Christian, though, as they've been averaging only 48. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Maranatha came out on top in a nail-biter against Linfield Christian in their previous matchup back in September of 2016, sneaking past 29-27. Does Maranatha have another victory up their sleeve, or will Linfield Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
