On Friday, Hesperia Christian faced Mammoth in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Hesperia Christian Patriots lost to the Mammoth Huskies at home by a 41-24 margin. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for the Patriots, who until this match were averaging 16.25 points allowed.
Hesperia Christian's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Dakota McCloud, who picked up 103 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 41 yards. The dominant performance gave McCloud a new career-high in rushing yards. Another passer making a difference was Nathaniel Renner, who threw for 189 yards and three touchdowns on only 16 passes.
Hesperia Christian's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Noah Griffin and Jackson Lake.
It was another big night for Tanner Knott, who rushed for 143 yards while picking up 7.5 yards per carry, and also threw for 83 yards and a touchdown for Mammoth. Knott also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, picking up two sacks and making nine total tackles.
Hesperia Christian's defeat ended an eight-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 2-2. As for Mammoth, the victory for them keeps them at an undefeated 5-0.
Hesperia Christian will venture away from home to take on Sage Hill at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Sage Hill knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past three contests -- so hopefully Hesperia Christian likes a good challenge. As for Mammoth, they will take on Pahranagat Valley at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are headed into the matchup with plenty of momentum (Mammoth has won nine straight at home dating back to last season, while Pahranagat Valley won three straight on the road), something that'll have to change.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
