California is 0-10 against La Serna since October of 2015 but things could change on Friday. The Condors will challenge the Lancers at 7:00 p.m. California has given up an average of 34 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Things were looking good for California after they put the first points on the board on Friday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. The contest between the Condors and El Rancho didn't end well, with the Condors falling 35-21. The Condors were down 28-7 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Despite the defeat, California had strong showings from Andrew Robledo, who rushed for 106 yards on only 11 carries, and Aj Aparicio, who threw for 112 yards and one TD. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 69 yards.
Meanwhile, La Serna had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 35-20 win over the Chiefs. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Lancers' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 127th, while the Chiefs are ranked 644th).
La Serna's win came from a few key players California will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Grady Long, who threw for 186 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 32 yards. Jordan Bonilla helped out on the ground, rushing for 111 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something La Serna proved: they limited Santa Fe to a paltry -2.6 yards per carry. The team can thank Nolan Allison for the heroic effort on defense: he. La Serna's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.78 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 5.67 on average over their last five games.
Special teams played a big role in the game for La Serna, adding 11 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Landon Armenta, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
California now has a losing record of 3-4. As for La Serna, their record now sits at 5-3.
California was taken down by La Serna 70-14 in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Can the Condors avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
