The Eastlake Titans will challenge the Mt. Carmel Sundevils at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Mt. Carmel took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Eastlake, who comes in off a win.
Eastlake is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They blew past West Hills, posting a 35-0 victory. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Titans' offense, which had struggled in the games prior.
Tyler Balko had a dynamite game, throwing for 173 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 39 yards and one TD. That's the most passing touchdowns he has posted since back in August of 2024.
Eastlake's run defense was locked in: West Hills could only muster 2.2 yards per carry. The Titans' run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.95 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 7.43 on average over their last five games.
Meanwhile, Mt. Carmel played a tough matchup back in October in which they were outscored in every quarter. They came up short against San Pasqual, falling 42-20.
Eastlake will have to keep a close watch on Trevor Taumoepeau and Vohnn Brown, a pair of players who had a big impact on Mt. Carmel's prior game. Taumoepeau threw for 305 yards and a pair of TDs, while Brown picked up 128 receiving yards and one score. Brown also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making seven total tackles and defending one pass. A healthy portion of Taumoepeau's aerial production (81 yards to be exact) also went to Connor Gibbons.
Mt. Carmel has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-6 record this season. As for Eastlake, their win bumped their record up to 5-6.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Eastlake has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 150.8 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Mt. Carmel has preferred to attack from the air: they average 270.1 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Eastlake couldn't quite finish off Mt. Carmel in their previous meeting back in November of 2016 and fell 22-20. Can the Titans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
