The Baldwin Park Braves will square off against the El Monte Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Having struggled with four losses in a row dating back to last season, Baldwin Park finally turned things around against Sierra Vista on Friday. They took their game at home with ease, bagging a 40-8 win over the Dons. The Braves' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Jake Garcia continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 285 yards and five touchdowns while completing 84.6% of his passes, and also rushing for 41 yards. Randle Tebo was Garcia's top target, picking up 106 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, El Monte put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Whittier, posting a 42-6 victory at home. Fans of the Lions have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ point.
El Monte had a senior duo take command as Brandon Do rushed for 71 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries and Felipe Taboada rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries. Taboada's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 110 rushing yards dating back to last season.
El Monte's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged four passes before it was all said and done. Brandon Torres led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself. El Monte got some further help from Nathan Jimenez: he forced a fumble, made 12 total tackles (1.0 for loss), and defended a pass.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, El Monte was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 242 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 242 rushing yards in five consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Baldwin Park's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-3. As for El Monte, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 3-0.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Baldwin Park has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 175.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like El Monte struggles in that department as they've been averaging 257.3. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Baldwin Park strolled past El Monte in their previous matchup back in August of 2023 by a score of 52-33. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Do, who rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries, and also threw for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Baldwin Park still be able to contain Do? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
