Cardinal Newman unfortunately couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. They were dealt a 40-7 defeat at the hands of the Manteca Buffaloes on Friday. The Cardinals were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 40-0.
When it comes to explaining why Cardinal Newman lost, don't look at Pathoumnourack Malakai. Despite the final result, he rushed for 71 yards and one TD.
Nikko Juarez was nothing short of spectacular for Manteca: he rushed for 206 yards and three scores while picking up 11.4 yards per carry. That's the most rushing yards Juarez has posted since back in September of 2024. Maava Tialavea was another key player, rushing for 37 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Manteca pushed their record up to 2-0 with the victory, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season.
Coming up, Cardinal Newman will face off against Grant at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Manteca, they will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Marin Catholic at 2:00 p.m. on the 13th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
