After each having a week off, the Tehachapi Warriors and the Golden West Trailblazers will shake off the cobwebs and take on one another at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Two weeks ago, Tehachapi blew past Wasco, posting a 36-8 victory on the road. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Warriors.
Tehachapi's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Andrew Aguirre, who rushed for 96 yards on only seven carries, and also caught a touchdown. The dominant performance gave Aguirre a new career-high in rushing yards. Kaidon Hagerty was another key rusher, gaining 73 total yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Tehachapi was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 262 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 157 rushing yards in 16 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Golden West waltzed into their game two weeks ago with two straight wins... but they left with three. They breezed by the Stars at home to the tune of 48-0. The Trailblazers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matches by 44 points or more this season.
Golden West found their leader in underclassman Jayden Najera, who threw for 356 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 17.8 yards per attempt. Those 356 passing yards set a new season-high mark for Najera. Case Anders helped Najera out on the ground, picking up 93 receiving yards and a touchdown, while also punching in a touchdown on the ground.
Tehachapi's win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Golden West, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 3-1.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Tehachapi has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 236.8 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Golden West has preferred to attack from the air: they average 282.5 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Everything came up roses for Tehachapi against Golden West in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, as the squad secured a 41-7 win. Will Tehachapi repeat their success, or does Golden West have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
