Two dominant signal callers in Star Thomas and Carter Vestermark are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Orange Panthers will host the Aliso Niguel Wolverines at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Aliso Niguel took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Orange, who comes in off a win.
On Friday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Orange beat Northwood 34-28.
Orange's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Benjamin Lafferre led the charge by rushing for 61 yards and one touchdown on only seven carries. Adam Maldonado was another key receiver, picking up 90 receiving yards and one score.
Orange's defense stepped up as well, laying out Dylan D'Epifanio three times. Joshua Flores was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two sacks himself.
Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 48-20, which was the final score in Aliso Niguel's tilt against Laguna Beach on Friday. The last quarter was a mere formality, since the game's final score was reached by the end of the third quarter.
Although Aliso Niguel took the loss, they still got scores from Hunter Hagins, Nick Bisaccia, and Finley Torrico.
Don't try to pin the team's loss on the defense: they kept the trenches locked down and allowed a mere 0.7 yards per carry. The team can thank Carson Etnire for the heroic effort on defense: he. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for Aliso Niguel; they were averaging 6yards per carry per game earlier this season, but in their last three matchups they've fallen to only 2.7 per game.
Aliso Niguel's loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 5-3. As for Orange, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 5-3.
We should be in store for an exciting game as the two teams have no problem gaining yardage. Orange has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 437.1 total yards per game. However, it's not like Aliso Niguel struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 368.6 total yards. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them.
Orange ended up a good deal behind Aliso Niguel in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, losing 30-14. Thankfully for the Panthers, Jarett Sabol (who rushed for 170 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 7.4 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
