The Live Oak Lions will be playing in front of their home fans against the Orland Trojans at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Live Oak will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up three points two weeks ago, then bounced right back against Oroville on Friday. Live Oak took their game with ease, bagging a 41-6 victory over Oroville. That looming 41-6 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Lions yet this season.
Live Oak had a senior duo take command as Mario Ramirez rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries and Tanner Tillotson rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries. Tillotson's longest rush was for an impressive 52 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Live Oak was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 368 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Oroville only rushed for 54.
Meanwhile, Orland's game on Friday was all tied up 14-14 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They were the clear victor by a 34-14 margin over Corning. The Trojans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matchups by 20 points or more this season.
Orland's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Manny Rodriguez, who rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.2 yards per carry, and Luke Schager, who rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns. That's the most rushing yards Rodriguez has posted since back in November of 2023.
The win (which was Orland's fourth in a row) raised their record to 7-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 34.5 points per game. As for Live Oak, with the victory, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 3-6.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Live Oak has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 181.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Orland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 337.1. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Live Oak took a serious blow against Orland in their previous matchup back in November of 2022, falling 46-8. Thankfully for Live Oak, Diego Rico (who rushed for 115 yards and four touchdowns on only six 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
