The Analy Tigers will venture away from home to challenge the St. Vincent de Paul Mustangs at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Analy has given up an average of 35 points per game this season, but Saturday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Analy is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 42 points two weeks ago, they were much more limited against Ukiah on Friday. They took a blow against the Wildcats, falling 42-13. The Tigers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 35-7.
Brantz Jacobs put forth a good effort for the losing side as he rushed for 69 yards and one touchdown.
Meanwhile, St. Vincent de Paul got the win against Maria Carrillo on Saturday by a conclusive 39-14. The win continues a trend for the Mustangs in their matchups with the Pumas: they've now won five in a row.
St. Vincent de Paul's win came from a few key players Analy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Gabe Casanovas, who rushed for 104 yards and a pair of scores on only six carries, and also threw for 31 yards and one TD while completing 80% of his passes. Levi Kennedy also helped out as he racked up 106 rushing yards.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something St. Vincent de Paul proved: they limited Maria Carrillo to a paltry 1.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Hudson Kensic for the heroic effort on defense: he. St. Vincent de Paul didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 8.9.
St. Vincent de Paul's defense didn't let Cooper Bluestone, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for five sacks. Zach Dunaj was especially locked on to Maria Carrillo's QB and sacked him twice. Dunaj has been hot recently, having posted at least one sack the last three times he's played. Kensic was another major factor on D, making 11 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Analy's record is now 6-4. As for St. Vincent de Paul, their record now sits at 9-1.
Saturday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Analy has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 168.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like St. Vincent de Paul struggles in that department as they've been averaging 184.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Saturday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Analy took a serious blow against St. Vincent de Paul when the teams last played back in October, falling 49-0. Can the Tigers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
