Murrieta Mesa had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the St. Francis Golden Knights on Friday, sneaking past 31-28. The win was familiar territory for the Rams who have now won eight contests in a row.
Murrieta Mesa got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Trey Gamble Jr. out in front who rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 143 yards and a touchdown on only 13 passes. The dominant performance gave Gamble Jr. a new career-high in rushing yards. Murrieta Mesa also got a significant boost from Artyon Celestine, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 86 yards.
Another reason for the win was Murrieta Mesa's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for seven sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Isaiah Casillas and Noah Jenkins, who racked up 4.5 sacks between them. Murrieta Mesa got some further help from Daniel Ritchie: he picked up a sack and made six total tackles (2.0 for loss).
When it comes to explaining why St. Francis lost, don't look at John Sanders. Despite the final result, he threw for 360 yards and four touchdowns. The team also got some help courtesy of Mason Maddox, who picked up 110 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Murrieta Mesa pushed their record up to 9-4 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 27.7 points per game. As for St. Francis, they moved to 5-8 with that loss, which also ended their three-game winning streak.
Murrieta Mesa didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next matchup, a 17-7 victory against Glendora on the 30th. St. Francis does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
