If San Joaquin Memorial was feeling good fresh off their 49-13 takedown of Central last Thursday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Panthers fell just short of the Justin Garza Guardians by a score of 38-35 on Friday. The Panthers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Guardians apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in October of 2024.
Despite the loss, San Joaquin Memorial still got an impressive performance from Colton Johnson, who rushed for 112 yards and a pair of TDs on only nine carries, and also threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns on only 18 passes.
San Joaquin Memorial didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Ben Ruiz and John Paul Hernandez. Another thorn in Justin Garza's side was Mason Alarcon, who made 16 total tackles.
Justin Garza's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Bohden Smith led the charge by rushing for 113 yards and one score on only 12 carries, while also throwing for 165 yards and three touchdowns. That's the most passing touchdowns Smith has posted since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Nate Rodriguez, who picked up 124 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.
San Joaquin Memorial's defeat dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Justin Garza, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-1.
Looking ahead, San Joaquin Memorial will take on Edison at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The Panthers are facing the Tigers at the right time seeing as the Tigers are stuck on a five-game losing streak. As for Justin Garza, they will challenge Sanger at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
