Two dominant backs in Lee Williams and Blake Burton are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Justin Garza Guardians will head out on the road to challenge the Madera Coyotes at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Justin Garza will be strutting in after a win while Madera will be coming in after a defeat.
Justin Garza took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They came out on top against Edison by a score of 33-26. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Guardians as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
It was another big night for Williams, who rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.6 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Omari Bogan got in on the action too, returning a kick for a touchdown.
Justin Garza was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 274 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Madera was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They took a 35-28 hit to the loss column at the hands of Sanger. While losing is never fun, the Coyotes can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 279th, while the Apaches are ranked 102nd).
Despite the defeat, Madera got top-tier performance from Joel Arellano, who threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Another player making a difference was Jayden Martinez, who picked up 125 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Justin Garza's win bumped their record up to 4-5. As for Madera, their loss dropped their record down to 5-4.
Justin Garza and Madera were neck-and-neck when the teams last played back in October of 2023, but Justin Garza came up empty-handed after a 28-27 defeat. Can Justin Garza avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
