St. Joseph Academy has been on the road for three straight, but on Saturday they'll finally head home. After each having a week off, they and the Calvary Chapel Grizzlies will shake off the cobwebs and challenge one another at 12:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
St. Joseph Academy's defense heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed last Saturday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Julian 44-0 on the road. Considering the Crusaders have won five matchups by more than 31 points this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, St. Joseph Academy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 483 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 220 rushing yards in nine consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Calvary Chapel was not able to break out of their rough patch last Saturday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They lost 70-50 to California Lutheran. The Grizzlies were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 42-6.
Despite their loss, Calvary Chapel saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Joshua Lennear, who rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.1 yards per carry, and also threw for 99 yards and two touchdowns, was perhaps the best of all. With that strong performance, Lennear is now averaging an impressive 109 rushing yards per game. Another rusher making a difference was Jose Peraza, who rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.6 yards per carry.
Calvary Chapel didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Christian Craver and Uriah Figueroa. Figueroa also set a new season high mark in receiving yards with 88.
St. Joseph Academy's victory bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Calvary Chapel, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-4.
Saturday's game might be decided in the on the ground. St. Joseph Academy has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 446.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Calvary Chapel struggles in that department as they've been averaging 200. It's looking like Saturday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
St. Joseph Academy lost to Calvary Chapel at home by a decisive 34-16 margin in their previous meeting back in October of 2015. Thankfully for St. Joseph Academy, Jared Welch (who rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns on only ten carries) 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
