Two dominant backs in Jermaine Wilson Jr and Noah Chapala are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Northridge Grizzlies will be playing at home against the Mead Mavericks at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Northridge is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 26.5 points per game this season.
Northridge is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 50 points two weeks ago, they were much more limited against Windsor on Friday. They were outmatched by the Wizards on the road and fell 45-6. The Grizzlies were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 24-0.
Despite the loss, Northridge got top-tier performance from Sage Olsen, who rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 70 receiving yards. Those 58 rushing yards gave Olsen a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Mead put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Greeley Central 57-6 at home. The Mavericks' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Mead can attribute much of their success to Chapala, who rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries, and Christian Hiner, who rushed for 42 yards and a touchdown. Chapala's longest rush was for an impressive 52 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Mead was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 270 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 182 rushing yards in three consecutive games.
Northridge's defeat was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 2-5. As for Mead, their win bumped their record up to 7-0.
Saturday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Northridge has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 152.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mead struggles in that department as they've been averaging 236.6. It's looking like Saturday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Northridge and Mead were almost perfectly matched up in their previous matchup back in November of 2021, but Northridge suffered an agonizing 21-20 loss. Thankfully for Northridge, Evan Morris (who rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 33 yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
