Los Altos is 7-1 against Walnut since November of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Los Altos Conquerors will face off against the Walnut Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. Both have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses apiece.
Walnut is facing Los Altos at the wrong time: Los Altos suffered their first home loss of the season on Thursday and they're likely out for redemption. They fell 30-22 to the Brahmas. Despite 76 more yards than the Brahmas, the Conquerors couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Despite their loss, Los Altos saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Diego Castillo, who rushed for 31 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 215 yards on 16 of 23 attempts, was perhaps the best of all. Another back making a difference was Daryen Hernandez, who rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries.
Meanwhile, it looked like the Kentucky Derby when Walnut challenged Covina on Friday. Walnut took a 42-28 bruising from Covina. While losing is never fun, the Mustangs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 670th, while the Colts are ranked 296th).
Despite the defeat, Walnut got top-tier performance from Christopher Mardueno, who rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.4 yards per carry. Mardueno is becoming a predictor of Walnut's success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is 2-1 (and 2-3 when he doesn't).
Walnut wouldn't let Covina keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Lyon Guzman, Nohlen Simons, and Noah Solis picked up one apiece. Guzman also set a new season high mark in total tackles with four.
Even though they lost, Walnut was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 344 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Los Altos' loss dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Walnut, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-4.
Everything went Los Altos' way against Walnut when the teams last played back in September of 2023, as Los Altos made off with a 37-14 victory. Will Los Altos repeat their success, or does Walnut have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
