La Serna had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They put the hurt on the Rio Mesa Spartans with a sharp 56-35 victory on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Lancers, who have now won six matches by 21 points or more so far this season.
Ayden Contreras had a dynamite game for La Serna, rushing for 246 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 14.5 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave Contreras a new career-high in rushing yards. Another player making a difference was Grady Long, who rushed for 33 yards and a touchdown.
La Serna was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 363 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 150 rushing yards in four consecutive matchups.
La Serna didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Contreras and Emre Law. Another thorn in Rio Mesa's side was Jakob Lara, who made 16 total tackles.
Rio Mesa lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Isaiah Bautista, who rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.1 yards per carry, and also caught a touchdown. Bautista was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 56 yards. Rio Mesa also got help from Alec Fontyn, who showed off his sure hands for 103 receiving yards.
La Serna's record now sits at 9-3. As for Rio Mesa, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-5 record this season.
La Serna will take on Summit at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Summit will roll in looking for their tenth straight win, something La Serna surely won't give up without a fight. Rio Mesa does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
