California has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the West Greene Pioneers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in California's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last four games.
Last Friday, everything came up roses for California at home against Carmichaels as the team secured a 44-8 win. With the Trojans ahead 31-0 at the half, the match was all but over already.
Lee Qualk was his usual excellent self, rushing for 233 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 9.7 yards per carry, and also picking up 30 receiving yards. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 149 rushing yards dating back to last season. Vincent Manzella also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, California was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 347 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 196 rushing yards in five consecutive contests.
One reason for the win was California's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Leading the way was Niko Georgagis with two.
Meanwhile, after only seven points in their last matchup, West Greene made sure to put some points up on the board against Bentworth on Friday. West Greene skirted past Bentworth 36-33.
West Greene's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Lane Allison, who threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns on only 18 passes, and also rushed for 127 yards while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. Those 127 rushing yards gave Allison a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jackson Grimes, who picked up 179 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
West Greene didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Allison and Hayden Hamilton. Hamilton also rushed for 128 rushing yards, which is notable because West Greene is 2-1 when he posts at least 80 rushing yards, but 1-3 otherwise.
California pushed their record up to 5-2 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. As for West Greene, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a massive bump to their 3-4 record this season.
Everything came up roses for California against West Greene in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 44-12 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for California since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
