Faith Lutheran faced Desert Oasis in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Crusaders fell just short of the Diamondbacks by a score of 30-27. Despite 56 more yards than the Diamondbacks, the Crusaders couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Several Crusaders players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Justin Robbins, who rushed for 104 yards and a pair of scores on only 13 carries. Robbins' longest rush was for an incredible 73 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Gavin Folino, who gained 105 total yards and a touchdown.
Don't try to pin the team's loss on the defense: they kept the trenches locked down and allowed a mere 2.5 yards per carry. While seven picked up at least one total tackle, Robbins stood above the rest. He rushed for 104 yards and two TDs on only 13 carries. Faith Lutheran didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged nine.
Faith Lutheran's defense didn't let VIncent Hales., get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. Joel Sandoval was especially locked on to Desert Oasis' QB and sacked him twice. The game marked Sandoval's first with multiple sacks this season. Connor Gries was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 11 total tackles.
A big part of Desert Oasis' win came down to the chemistry between Hales and his top target Anthony Sarracino. Hales threw for 256 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 11.6 yards per attempt while Sarracino picked up 115 receiving yards and a pair of scores. Hales is becoming a predictor of Desert Oasis' success: when he posts at least three passing touchdowns the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't).
Faith Lutheran is on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 1-5. As for Desert Oasis, they pushed their record up to 4-2 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season.
Coincidentally, Faith Lutheran and Desert Oasis will both be playing Liberty the next time they take the field. The Crusaders will host the Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, while the Diamondbacks will head out to face them at 7:00 p.m. on October 10.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
