The El Modena Vanguards will face off against the Santa Barbara Dons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. El Modena is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 39.3 points per game this season.
El Modena took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They strolled past Cypress with points to spare, taking the game 28-14. Given the Vanguards' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 72nd, while the Centurions are ranked 297th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
A big part of El Modena's victory came down to the chemistry between Xzavior Guess and his top target Connor Smith. Guess threw for 199 yards and three touchdowns on only 17 passes while Smith picked up 98 receiving yards and a touchdown. Brodie Hitchens got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
El Modena didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jesse Leslie and Hitchens.
Meanwhile, Santa Barbara was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 34-28 to Thousand Oaks.
Despite the defeat, Santa Barbara got top-tier performance from Kai Mault, who rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown, and also caught a touchdown. Mault also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making four total tackles and defending a pass.
Santa Barbara's loss dropped their record down to 6-3-1. As for El Modena, their win bumped their record up to 8-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. El Modena has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 216.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Santa Barbara struggles in that department as they've been averaging 219.1. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
