The Thacher Toads will square off against the Santa Clara Saints at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Thacher will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each contest than the last.
Thacher took a loss when they played away from home last Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. Everything went their way against Villanova Prep as Thacher made off with a 46-21 win. Given the Toads' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 28th, while the Wildcats are ranked 87th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, Santa Clara didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Laguna Blanca on Saturday, but they still walked away with a 36-30 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Saints.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Santa Clara to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jayden Ramirez, who rushed for 86 yards and three touchdowns, and also threw for 150 yards and a touchdown. Another rusher making a difference was Julian Garcia, who rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries.
Santa Clara didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Lucas Mendez. He also set a new season high mark in receiving yards with 124.
Thacher's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-2. As for Santa Clara, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 4-2.
Everything came up roses for Thacher against Santa Clara in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 50-20 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Santa Clara's Jason Valenzuela, who rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown on only five carries, and also threw for 186 yards and a touchdown on only 13 passes. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Thacher to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
