The Garces Memorial Rams are taking a road trip to square off against the Arroyo Grande Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Garces Memorial is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They put the hurt on Tehachapi with a sharp 34-10 victory. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Rams as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Mark Gomez
| 09/05/25 vs Bishop Union | 143.8 |
| 11/07/25 vs Tehachapi | 143.1 |
| 10/10/25 @ Stockdale | 137 |
| 09/13/25 vs San Joaquin Memorial | 115.4 |
| 09/26/25 vs Righetti | 109.7 |
| + 6 more games |
Garces Memorial got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Mark Gomez out in front who threw for 317 yards and five TDs while completing 81.5% of his passes. Gomez's passing game has become a key predictor of the Rams' success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 3-4 otherwise. Colby Dilly helped Gomez out on the ground, picking up 125 receiving yards and a pair of scores, while also rushing for 32 yards.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Garces Memorial's defense and their three sacks. In that department, Broc Clites was the leader with two.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Arroyo Grande over Sunnyside in every quarter on their way to victory on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Eagles blew the Wildcats out of the water with a 62-14 final score. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 49-14.
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Miles Thompson and Zack Tayman. Thompson rushed for 84 yards and three touchdowns on only six carries while Tayman rushed for 70 yards and a pair of TDs. Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Caleb Clark, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Arroyo Grande was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 255 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 195 rushing yards in five consecutive games.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Arroyo Grande, racking up 26 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Levi Childers, who ran a punt back for a touchdown. Another bright spot was a kickoff return touchdown from Clark.
Garces Memorial's record is now 7-4. As for Arroyo Grande, their record now sits at an identical 7-4.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Garces Memorial has been excellent in the air this season, having averaged 268.7 passing yards per game. It's a different story for Arroyo Grande, though, as they've been averaging only 81.3 passing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant passing game?
Garces Memorial came up short against Arroyo Grande in their previous meeting back in September of 2016, falling 36-32. Thankfully for the Rams, Sawyer May (who rushed for 138 yards and two scores while picking up 7.3 yards per carry, and also threw for 165 yards and one touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
