The Independence Patriots will square off against the La Joya Community Fighting Lobos at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Independence is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 27.4 points per game this season.
Independence will head out to face La Joya Community after giving up their first home loss of the season on Thursday. Independence was just a hair shy of victory and fell 22-21 to Sierra Linda. The Patriots gained 88 more yards on the day, but it was the Bulldogs that made the best use of them.
Independence's loss came about despite a quality game from Armani Cruz, who threw for 206 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 40 yards and a touchdown. 83 of Cruz's passing yards were hauled in by Daniel Rodriguez.
Meanwhile, a victory for La Joya Community just wasn't in the cards on Thursday as the team wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They came up short against Gila Ridge, falling 35-14. The Fighting Lobos have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
La Joya Community might have lost, but man, Jayden Quick was a machine: he picked up 103 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Quick's longest reception was for an incredible 87 yards.
La Joya Community didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Nasir Smith and Bryce Johnson.
Independence's defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 5-3. As for La Joya Community, their loss dropped their record down to 1-7.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Independence has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 163.5 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for La Joya Community, though, as they've been averaging only 63.5. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Independence beat La Joya Community 20-7 in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. Does Independence have another victory up their sleeve, or will La Joya Community turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
