Two dominant backs in Cole Nerio and Wyatt Lucas are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Yorba Linda Mustangs will head out to face off against the Corona del Mar Sea Kings at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Last Friday, Yorba Linda made easy work of Newport Harbor and carried off a 42-17 win. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 27th, while the Sailors are ranked 127th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Nerio was his usual excellent self, rushing for 136 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.6 yards per carry. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in August. Troy Roberts also helped out with an impressive 93 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Corona del Mar's strategy against Tesoro on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Corona del Mar blew Tesoro out of the water with a 44-14 final score. The victory was some much needed relief for the Sea Kings as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Corona del Mar relied on the efforts of Brady Annett, who threw for 233 yards and four touchdowns, and Lucas, who rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Lucas has become a key player for Corona del Mar: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 2-4 otherwise. Dorsett Stecker was Annett's top target, picking up 162 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Corona del Mar was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 234 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Tesoro only rushed for 100.
The win made it two in a row for Yorba Linda and bumps their season record up to 7-2. As for Corona del Mar, their record now sits at 4-5.
Yorba Linda ended up a good deal behind Corona del Mar when the teams last played back in November of 2023, losing 28-14. Can Yorba Linda avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
