Firebaugh and Mendota are an even 5-5 against one another since November of 2014, but not for long. The Firebaugh Eagles will challenge the Mendota Aztecs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Firebaugh is likely headed into the game with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Dos Palos on Friday. Firebaugh took a 27-20 hit to the loss column at the hands of Dos Palos. The defeat continues a trend for the Eagles in their matchups with the Broncos: they've now lost four in a row.
Despite the loss, Firebaugh had strong showings from Isaac Ceja, who rushed for 61 yards and two touchdowns, and Arren Alaniz, who picked up 29 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Mendota blew past Avenal, posting a 40-6 victory. With that win, the Aztecs brought their scoring average up to 26.9 points per game.
Mendota's win on Friday was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Ryan Preciado, who threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns on only nine passes. Hawk Garcia helped Preciado out on the ground, rushing for 42 yards and two touchdowns.
Mendota wouldn't let Avenal keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Mendota can thank Bryan Ruiz and Carlos Gaytan for forcing both of them.
Firebaugh now has a losing record at 4-5. As for Mendota, their victory bumped their record up to 6-3.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Firebaugh has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 165 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mendota struggles in that department as they've been averaging 169.6. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Firebaugh barely slipped by Mendota in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, winning 22-21. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Preciado, who threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns on only ten passes, and also punched in a rushing score. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Firebaugh still be able to contain Preciado? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
