Two dominant signal callers in Carter Vestermark and Star Thomas are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Aliso Niguel Wolverines will challenge the Orange Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 48-20, which was the final score in Aliso Niguel's tilt against Laguna Beach on Friday. The last quarter was a mere formality, since the game's final score was reached by the end of the third quarter.
Although Aliso Niguel took the loss, they still got scores from Hunter Hagins, Nick Bisaccia, and Finley Torrico.
Don't try to pin the team's loss on the defense: they kept the trenches locked down and allowed a mere 0.7 yards per carry. The team can thank Carson Etnire for the heroic effort on defense: he. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for Aliso Niguel; they were averaging 6yards per carry per game earlier this season, but in their last three games they've fallen to only 2.7 per game.
Meanwhile, Orange didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Northwood on Friday, but they still walked away with a 34-28 victory.
Orange's win came from a few key players Aliso Niguel will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Benjamin Lafferre, who rushed for 61 yards and one touchdown on only seven carries. Another player making a difference was Adam Maldonado, who picked up 90 receiving yards and one TD.
One reason for the win was Orange's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Joshua Flores was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself.
Aliso Niguel's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 5-3. As for Orange, their win bumped their record up to an identical 5-3.
We should be in store for an exciting game as the two teams have no problem gaining yardage. Aliso Niguel has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 368.6 total yards per game. However, it's not like Orange struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 437.1 total yards. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them.
Aliso Niguel strolled past Orange in their previous matchup back in October of 2024 by a score of 30-14. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wolverines since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
