Two dominant backs in Brandon Palma and Adonyae Brown are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Salinas Cowboys will take on the Archbishop Riordan Crusaders at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Salinas knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past six contests -- so hopefully Archbishop Riordan likes a good challenge.
While Salinas' win against Alisal wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Cowboys sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 31-28 victory over the Trojans on Friday. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Cowboys' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 108th, while the Trojans are ranked 262nd).
Meanwhile, Archbishop Riordan strolled into their game on Friday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They walked away with a 42-35 win over Junipero Serra.
Archbishop Riordan had a senior duo take command as Michael Mitchell Jr. threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns on only 19 passes and Cynai Thomas picked up 137 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. Those 137 receiving yards set a new season-high mark for Thomas.
Archbishop Riordan was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 304 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2024.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Archbishop Riordan's defensive line and their three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Zachary Kleppin, Sione Fanaika, and Dj Sanchez, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Salinas' record is now 7-3. As for Archbishop Riordan, their record now sits at 10-0.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
