Rancho Cotate is 4-0 against Santa Rosa since November of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Rancho Cotate Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Santa Rosa Panthers at 7:00 p.m. Rancho Cotate will be strutting in after a win while Santa Rosa will be coming in after a defeat.
You're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Rancho Cotate on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Montgomery out of the water with a 56-6 final score. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Rancho Cotate had established a 36 point advantage.
Rancho Cotate's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Geovanny Ortiz, who rushed for 174 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.7 yards per carry. Ortiz is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last four games he's played. Gio Martinez was another key contributor, rushing for 125 yards and two touchdowns on only five carries.
Meanwhile, Santa Rosa's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fourth straight loss. They were outmatched by Cardinal Newman on the road and fell 62-7. While losing is never fun, Santa Rosa can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 598th, while Cardinal Newman is ranked 100th).
Rancho Cotate now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Santa Rosa, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-7 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Rancho Cotate has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 350.6 total yards per game. It's a different story for Santa Rosa, though, as they've been averaging only 222.2 per game. Will Rancho Cotate be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will Santa Rosa flip the ?
Everything came up roses for Rancho Cotate against Santa Rosa when the teams last played back in November of 2022 as the squad secured a 49-3 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rancho Cotate since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
