The Tustin Tillers will head out on the road to challenge the El Modena Vanguards at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, Tustin made easy work of Trabuco Hills and carried off a 35-14 win. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 20-0.
It was another big night for Eimesse Essis, who rushed for 182 yards. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 182 rushing yards dating back to last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Tustin was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 250 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 181 rushing yards in four consecutive contests.
Tustin didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Khalil Terry and Brannon Hampton.
Meanwhile, El Modena put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They breezed by Western on the road to the tune of 56-27. The Vanguards' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Xzavior Guess was his usual excellent self, throwing for 241 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Another player making a difference was Brodie Hitchens, who rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Tustin's victory was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. As for El Modena, their win bumped their record up to 7-0.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Tustin has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 208.4 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, El Modena has preferred to attack from the air: they average 269.6 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Thursday? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
