The Mt. Whitney Pioneers are taking a road trip to challenge the Redwood Rangers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Mt. Whitney has given up an average of 38.1 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Mt. Whitney is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Porterville on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Pioneers were outmatched by the Panthers and fell 42-6. While losing is never fun, the Pioneers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 637th, while the Panthers are ranked 142nd).
Kayden Silvas put forth a good effort for the losing side as he rushed for 87 yards and one score.
Meanwhile, Redwood had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.4 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Thursday. They blew past the Miners 61-14. The result was nothing new for the Rangers, who have now won four games by 21 points or more so far this season.
Mt. Whitney better keep an eye on Jimmie Burk. He was instrumental in Redwood's win, rushing for 344 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 15.0 yards per carry. Thanks to that big game, Burk is now up to 19 rushing touchdowns on the season. Jairus Brooks also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
Redwood was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 359 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since the start of last season.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Redwood, adding 13 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Brooks, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Mt. Whitney's defeat was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-8. As for Redwood, their record is now 7-2.
Mt. Whitney might still be hurting after the 28-7 loss they got from Redwood in their previous matchup back in November of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Burk, who rushed for 240 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 14.1 yards per carry. Now that the Pioneers know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
