Hanford has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Tulare Western Mustangs at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Hanford's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.
Last Friday, everything went Hanford's way against Tulare Union as Hanford made off with a 33-8 victory. The 33-point effort marked the Bullpups' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Hanford got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Daniel Gomez out in front who threw for 204 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 48 yards. Taveon Patterson also helped out with an impressive 93 receiving yards.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Hanford's defense and their 6.5 sacks. Leading the way was Emanuel Jackson IV with 3.5. Justin Clark-Strickland III was another major factor on D, picking up 1.5 sacks and making 11 total tackles.
Meanwhile, Tulare Western entered their tilt with Dinuba on Friday with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. They blew past the Emperors 39-15. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 207th, while the Emperors are ranked 475th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Tulare Western found their leader in underclassman Juju Hernandez, who threw for 120 yards and three touchdowns on only ten passes.
Tulare Western wouldn't let Dinuba keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Devin Hicks, Jeremiah Gomez, and Josh Harris picked up one apiece. Harris is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last nine games he's played dating back to last season.
Hanford's victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-0. As for Tulare Western, their win bumped their record up to 6-1.
Everything came up roses for Hanford against Tulare Western in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 50-6 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Tulare Western's Mikey Johnson, who rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.1 yards per carry. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Hanford still be able to contain Johnson? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
