The Liberty Ranch Hawks will face off against the Argonaut Mustangs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Liberty Ranch knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past five contests -- so hopefully Argonaut likes a good challenge.
On Friday, Liberty Ranch didn't have too much trouble with Amador as they won 40-26. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Hawks' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 271st, while the Buffaloes are ranked 582nd).
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Joe Lara and Wyatt Corriea. Lara rushed for 149 yards and three TDs on only 13 carries while Corriea gained 143 total yards and three touchdowns. Lara's longest rush was for an impressive 63 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.
Liberty Ranch was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 395 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 314 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Liberty Ranch's defense and their six sacks. In that department, Andrew Quinn was the leader with two.
Meanwhile, there was early excitement for Argonaut after they claimed the first score on Friday, but it was Union Mine who ended up claiming the real prize. The Mustangs took a 22-16 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Diamondbacks. The Mustangs haven't had much luck with the Diamondbacks recently, as the team has come up short the last six times they've met.
Liberty Ranch's victory was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-0. The road wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 49.0 points over those games. As for Argonaut, they now have a losing record of 2-3.
Liberty Ranch took their victory against Argonaut when the teams last played back in October of 2024 by a conclusive 50-27 score. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Mustangs' Seth Mitchell, who rushed for 266 yards and a pair of scores while picking up 9.9 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Hawks to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
