Despite a phenomenal run in the regular season, Pleasanton couldn't carry that success into this playoff game. They lost 42-20 to the Sandhills Valley Mavericks on Thursday. The Bulldogs' loss signaled the end of their nine-game winning streak dating back to last season.
When it comes to explaining why Pleasanton lost, don't look at Brennan Lindner. Despite the final result, he rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries, and also threw for 71 yards and a touchdown. Lindner didn't just play on offense: he also made eight total tackles and defended a pass.
Even if they lost, Pleasanton's defensive line still kept up the pressure with three sacks. In that department, Luke Pawloski was the leader with two. He has been hot for a while, having also posted five or more total tackles the last 11 times he's played.
Sandhills Valley can attribute much of their success to Leyton Connell, who rushed for 77 yards, and also threw for 121 yards and a touchdown while completing 78.6% of his passes. The dominant performance gave Connell a new career-high in rushing yards.
Having lost for the first time this season, Pleasanton fell to 8-1. As for Sandhills Valley, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-5.
Pleasanton does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Sandhills Valley, they will venture away from home to take on Sandy Creek at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Sandy Creek will roll in looking for their tenth straight victory, something Sandhills Valley surely won't give up without a fight.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
