After flying high against Chatsworth last Friday, Taft came back down to earth. The Toreadors were dealt a 69-14 loss at the hands of the Birmingham Patriots on Friday. The game marked the Toreadors' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Erik Koron
| 09/05/25 vs Arleta | 224 |
| 08/22/25 vs Nordhoff | 116 |
| 10/17/25 @ Birmingham | 111 |
| 10/03/25 vs Granada Hills Charter | 105 |
| 09/12/25 vs Verdugo Hills | 95 |
Taft's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nathan Swinson, who threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns. Erik Koron also helped out with an impressive 111 receiving yards.
A big part of Birmingham's victory came down to the chemistry between Kevin Hawkins and his top target Paul Turner. Hawkins threw for 112 yards and three TDs on only six passes while Turner picked up 122 receiving yards and three scores. Hawkins' passing game has become a key predictor of Birmingham's success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 0-3 otherwise.
Taft has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-3 record this season. As for Birmingham, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 5-3.
We've got plenty of inter-league action coming up soon. Taft is set to square off against their familiar foe Cleveland at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Birmingham will take on rival Granada Hills Charter at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
