The Mission Oak Hawks will look to defend their home field on Thursday against the Mt. Whitney Pioneers at 7:00 p.m. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
With a playoff game on the line, Mission Oak rose to the challenge on Thursday. They came out on top against Independence by a score of 38-31. Given Mission Oak's advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 249th, while Independence is ranked 524th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mission Oak got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Daniel Gonzalez out in front who rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries. Gonzalez really tore up the turf during one magnificent 80-yard run. Another player making a difference was Kenny Jackson, who rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.4 yards per carry.
Meanwhile, Mt. Whitney came tearing into Friday's contest with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11 points) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 28-18 victory over Nipomo.
Mt. Whitney can attribute much of their success to Micah Rodriguez, who threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns, and Kysen Sing, who rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Israel Briggs did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 82 receiving yards.
Mission Oak's victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 6-5. As for Mt. Whitney, they have yet to lose a match at home this season, leaving them with a 8-3 record.
Mission Oak skirted past Mt. Whitney 25-22 when the teams last played back in September. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Mt. Whitney's Sing, who rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.8 yards per carry, and also picked up 38 receiving yards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Mission Oak still be able to contain him? There's only one way to find out.
