Amphitheater won the last time they faced Rincon/University, and things went their way on Friday too. The Amphitheater Panthers breezed by the Rincon/University Rangers on the road to the tune of 42-15. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won four contests by 20 points or more so far this season.
Amphitheater got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Jacob Espinoza out in front who rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown. That's the most rushing yards Espinoza has posted since back in September of 2023. Isaac Williams was another key rusher, rushing for 77 yards and two touchdowns.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Amphitheater was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 272 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
One reason for the win was Amphitheater's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for seven sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Riley Dennis and Espinoza, who racked up 5.5 sacks between them.
Despite the defeat, Rincon/University saw an underclassman step up: Mananne Abakar picked up 85 receiving yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown. Abakar showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 61 yards.
Amphitheater's victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-4. As for Rincon/University, their loss was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 2-5.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Amphitheater will challenge Rio Rico at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Rincon/University, they will face off against Sahuarita at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Sahuarita will be hoping to continue their four-game streak of scoring more points each match than the last.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
