Two dominant backs in Jayden Macias and Ryan Estrada are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Parkland Matadors will welcome the El Dorado Aztecs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Having struggled with six defeats in a row dating back to last season, Parkland finally turned things around against Bel Air on Friday. They breezed by the Highlanders on the road to the tune of 57-22. The Matadors' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Jesse Molina and Elijah Gonzalez were among the main playmakers for Parkland as the former punched in two rushing scores and the latter rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown.
Parkland wouldn't let Bel Air keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Parkland can thank Julian Gomez and Kaleb Martinez for forcing both of them. The dominant performance also gave Martinez a new career-high in rushing yards. Parkland got some further help from Ariel Peraza: he picked up two sacks and made six total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Parkland was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 370 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 230 rushing yards in six consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, El Dorado put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Americas 42-6 at home. The result was nothing new for the Aztecs, who have now won five games by 21 points or more so far this season.
Estrada was his usual excellent self, rushing for 307 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 11.8 yards per carry. Elijah Issa was another key player, throwing for 175 yards and a touchdown while completing 84.2% of his passes.
El Dorado didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as David Martinez, Matthew Pinto, and Evan Corral picked up one apiece. Another thorn in Americas' side was Andrew Estrada, who forced a fumble and made 13 total tackles.
Parkland's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-5. As for El Dorado, they pushed their record up to 6-0 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Parkland has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 297.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like El Dorado struggles in that department as they've been averaging 310. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Parkland didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against El Dorado when the teams last played back in August of 2023, but they still walked away with a 26-22 win. Does Parkland have another victory up their sleeve, or will El Dorado turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
