Esperanza had to travel to play their first game of the season, but the final result was worth the trip. They strolled past the Fountain Valley Barons with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 35-17. The Aztecs have seen this before: they got the W the last time they saw the Barons, too.
Eddie Matthews
| 08/29/25 @ Fountain Valley | 156 |
| 11/01/24 @ Brea Olinda | 86 |
| 10/18/24 vs St. Margaret's | 60 |
| 10/25/24 @ Westminster | 53 |
| 08/29/24 vs Fountain Valley | 49 |
A big part of Esperanza's victory came down to the chemistry between Travis Frazier and his top target Eddie Matthews. Frazier threw for 344 yards and five TDs while picking up 12.7 yards per attempt while Matthews picked up 156 receiving yards and three scores. Those 156 receiving yards gave Matthews a new career-high. A healthy portion of Frazier's aerial production (109 yards to be exact) also went to Davian Franco, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
One reason for the win was Esperanza's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Dimitri Kokkinos, Jordan Sicard, and Alex Gavrilovic, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Fountain Valley's loss dropped their record down to 1-1.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Esperanza will challenge Dana Hills at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Fountain Valley, they are packing up and heading out for their first away game of the season: they will take on Marina at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
