Dayton has gone 8-0 against Taft recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Dayton Pirates will be playing at home against the Taft Tigers at 7:00 p.m. The timing is sure in Dayton's favor as the team sits on eight straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Taft has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.
Dayton will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up eight points last Friday, then bounced right back against Newport on Friday. Dayton claimed a resounding 43-13 win over Newport on the road.
Stephen Macias was a one-man wrecking crew for Dayton as he rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.3 yards per carry.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Dayton was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 383 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 204 rushing yards in 15 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, while Taft put up plenty of points on Friday, the same can't be said for Blanchet Catholic. Taft blew past Blanchet Catholic, posting a 43-0 victory on the road.
Ezra James looked great while leading his team to the win, throwing for 364 yards and three touchdowns while completing 88.5% of his passes. That high mark didn't come from nowhere: he now passed for three or more in the last three games he's played. 115 of those passing yards were hauled in by Kol Tolan, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Dayton now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Taft, they now also have a winning record of 2-1.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Dayton has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 335 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Taft has preferred to attack from the air: they average 308 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Thursday? There's only one way to find out.
Dayton took their win against Taft when the teams last played back in September of 2023 by a conclusive 48-27. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Taft's Armando Fajardo, who rushed for 41 yards and three touchdowns, and also threw for 291 yards and a touchdown. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for Dayton to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
