The California Trojans will head out on the road to face off against the Bishop Canevin Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with California sitting on eight straight wins and Bishop Canevin on five.
With a playoff game on the line, California rose to the challenge on Friday. They breezed by Jeannette at home to the tune of 44-6. With California ahead 28-0 at the half, the match was all but over already.
California had a senior duo take command as Spencer Petrucci rushed for 189 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 9.0 yards per carry and Jake Layhue rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.5 yards per carry. Petrucci hasn't dropped below 100 rushing yards for six straight games.
California's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB seven times. The heavy lifting was done by Malachi Peak and Fred Sherman who racked up five sacks between them.
Meanwhile, Bishop Canevin stacked a sixth blowout onto their ever-increasing hoard on Friday. They blew past Leechburg, posting a 49-6 victory on the road. Given Bishop Canevin's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 144th, while Leechburg is ranked 414th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Bishop Canevin's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Kole Olszewski, who threw for 206 yards and four touchdowns while completing 77.8% of his passes, and Marquis Carter, who rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries. Jason Cross Jr also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
California has yet to lose a match at home this season, leaving them with a 10-1 record. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 0-9 Charleroi and 1-9 Frazier (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 35.5% over those games). As for Bishop Canevin, their win bumped their record up to 9-1.
Keep an eye on the end zone in Friday's game as both teams haven't had much trouble getting there this season. California commands a daunting offense this season, having averaged 6.6 touchdowns per game. However, it's not like Bishop Canevin struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.1 per game. With these two high-octane teams facing off on Friday, fans should be in for an exciting offensive matchup. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Everything came up roses for California against Bishop Canevin in their previous meeting back in November of 2017 as the squad secured a 51-7 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for California since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
