The Hesperia Christian Patriots will venture away from home to challenge the Sage Hill Lightning at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hesperia Christian's defense has only allowed 16.2 points per game this season, so Sage Hill's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Hesperia Christian is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of California's top teams: Mammoth, who was ranked third in their home state at the time (Hesperia Christian was ranked 19th). Hesperia Christian received a blow on Friday as they fell 41-24 to Mammoth. That makes it the first time this season the Patriots have let down their home crowd.
Despite their loss, Hesperia Christian saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Dakota McCloud, who picked up 103 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 41 yards, was perhaps the best of all. McCloud was no stranger to the big play, connecting on a big catch that went for 64 yards. Nathaniel Renner was another key signal caller, throwing for 189 yards and three touchdowns on only 16 passes.
Hesperia Christian's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Noah Griffin and Jackson Lake.
Meanwhile, Sage Hill was able to grind out a solid victory over Animo Robinson on Friday, taking the game 32-20.
Hesperia Christian's defeat ended an eight-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 2-2. As for Sage Hill, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
Everything went Hesperia Christian's way against Sage Hill when the teams last played back in September of 2023 as Hesperia Christian made off with a 48-27 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Sage Hill's Danyel Khan, who picked up 161 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Hesperia Christian to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
