El Modena is on a six-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Tustin is on a nine-game streak of away wins (also dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The El Modena Vanguards will host the Tustin Tillers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
El Modena is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Thursday as they easily beat Western 56-27 on the road. Given the Vanguards' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 47th, while the Pioneers are ranked 187th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Xzavior Guess, who threw for 241 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Brodie Hitchens was another key player, rushing for 82 yards and a touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: El Modena was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 242 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 154 rushing yards in 11 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Tustin made easy work of Trabuco Hills on Friday and carried off a 35-14 victory. The match was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 20-0.
Eimesse Essis was his usual excellent self, rushing for 182 yards. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 182 rushing yards dating back to last season.
Tustin didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Khalil Terry and Brannon Hampton.
El Modena's win bumped their record up to 7-0. As for Tustin, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. El Modena has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 269.6 passing yards per game. Tustin, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 208.4 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Thursday? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
