If Santa Paula was feeling good fresh off their 55-6 takedown of Viewpoint two weeks ago, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Santa Paula Cardinals took a 28-20 hit to the loss column at the hands of the La Canada Spartans on Friday. The loss was the Cardinals' first of the season.
When it comes to explaining why Santa Paula lost, don't look at Allen Macias. Despite the final result, he rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.2 yards per carry, and also picked up 50 receiving yards. Macias' rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 138 rushing yards dating back to last season. Izayah Mata was another key player, rushing for 50 yards and a touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Santa Paula was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 209 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 152 rushing yards in 13 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Having lost for the first time this season, Santa Paula fell to 2-1. As for La Canada, the victory for them keeps them at an undefeated 4-0.
Santa Paula will face off against St. Bernard at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for La Canada, their homestand will continue as they prepare to take on Maranatha at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. La Canada's defense has only allowed 6.8 points per game this season, so Maranatha's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
