Two dominant backs in Jeremiah Martinez and Dante Dupuch are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Horizon Hawks will challenge the Mullen Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Mullen took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Horizon, who comes in off a win.
Last Friday, Horizon didn't have too much trouble with Vista PEAK Prep at home as they won 27-12. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Hawks.
Martinez was his usual excellent self, rushing for 278 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.9 yards per carry, and also picking up 64 receiving yards and a touchdown. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 118 rushing yards dating back to last season.
Horizon was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 344 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 87 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last four matches they've averaged 227.5.
Meanwhile, a victory for Mullen just wasn't in the cards on Friday as the squad wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They were beaten by Erie 48-13. The Mustangs have struggled against the Tigers recently, as their game on Friday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the defeat, Mullen got top-tier performance from Dupuch, who rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown.
Horizon's record now sits at 3-5. As for Mullen, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Horizon has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 157.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mullen struggles in that department as they've been averaging 147.9. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Horizon suffered a grim 34-10 defeat to Mullen when the teams last played back in September of 2023. Can Horizon avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
