Mesa faced Salpointe Catholic in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Jackrabbits came out on top against the Lancers by a score of 23-14.
Rio Arnett continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Caleb Tafua did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 94 receiving yards.
Mesa didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Salpointe Catholic to a completion percentage of just 47.8%. The Jackrabbits hasn't an opponent to post a completion percentage of 0.42 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Mesa's defense didn't let Matthew Avelar, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. Leading the way was Motuhifonua Stephenson with two. Another thorn in Salpointe Catholic's side was Kainalu Skipps, who made ten total tackles (2.0 for loss) and snagged an interception.
Several Lancers players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was David Rushing, who picked up 94 receiving yards and one score. Rushing really caught the secondary sleeping when he pulled down a catch that went for 81 yards.
The victory got Mesa back to even at 3-3. As for Salpointe Catholic, their loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 4-2.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming contests. After each having a week off, Mesa and Cesar Chavez will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:00 p.m. on the 17th. The Jackrabbits will be up against the Champions' rather soft defense (which has allowed 38.5 points per game), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. As for Salpointe Catholic, they will get a bit of extra time to process the defeat as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Basha at 7:00 p.m. on the 17th. The Bears' defense has only allowed 11.7 points per game this season, so the Lancers' offense will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
