The Norte Vista Braves will face off against the Ramona Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Norte Vista is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 67 points two weeks ago, they were much more limited against Patriot on Thursday. They received a blow as they fell 28-13 to the Warriors. While the Braves didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Warriors 7-0 in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Ramona). They claimed a resounding 49-0 win over La Sierra. The victory continues a trend for the Rams in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won eight in a row.
Norte Vista better keep an eye on Lorenzo Sims. He was instrumental in Ramona's win, rushing for 194 yards and a pair of TDs on only 12 carries. Sims is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 141 every time he's taken the field this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jesus Gonzalez, who punched in one rushing score.
Ramona didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited La Sierra to a completion percentage of just 38.1%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from three players: Aki Arteaga, Marcus Abrams, and Michael White, who each logged one passes deflected. Ramona has been improving in that area: they had allowed a completion percentage of 0.61 earlier this season, but they've only allowed one of 0.61 in their last three games.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Ramona, adding 12 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Isaac Mata, who ran a punt back for a touchdown. Another bright spot was a kickoff return touchdown from him.
Ramona's win bumped their record up to 6-1. As for Norte Vista, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 4-3.
Norte Vista suffered a grim 35-14 defeat to Ramona when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Braves, Kody Shinar (who rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries, and also threw for 97 yards and one TD) 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.
