The Raton Tigers will head out to take on the Robertson Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 903 yards in their previous games.
Last Friday, Raton didn't have too much trouble with Trinidad on the road as they won 47-30. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 57th in New Mexico, while the Miners are ranked 201st in Colorado), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Raton's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Cannon Walton, who rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries, and also threw for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Walton's longest rush was for an impressive 55 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Cael Walton also helped out as he racked up 126 rushing yards.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Raton was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 282 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 178 rushing yards in five consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Robertson). They blew past Ruidoso, posting a 68-13 win at home. The victory was just business as usual For the Cardinals, who after four games remain undefeated this season.
A big part of the win came down to the chemistry between Jesse James Gonzalez and his top target George Smith. Gonzalez rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries while Smith gained 192 total yards and four touchdowns. Gonzalez is also on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last three games he's played dating back to last season. Diego Maez was in the mix as well, providing Robertson with two touchdowns.
Robertson's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Maez.
Raton now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Robertson, they pushed their record up to 4-0 with that victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Raton has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 250 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Robertson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 220.8. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Raton suffered a grim 37-14 defeat to Robertson in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Gonzalez, who rushed for 178 yards while picking up 9.4 yards per carry, and also threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Now that Raton knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
