Palma has relied on a stalwart defense averaging 13.4 points allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Friday. They took a hard 39-25 fall against the Salinas Cowboys. The Chieftains have struggled against the Cowboys recently, as their game on Friday was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
Palma's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Eli Dukes, who rushed for 193 yards and a touchdown, and Isaak Hernandez, who rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Palma was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 291 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 187 rushing yards in 11 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Palma's loss dropped their record down to 3-2. As for Salinas, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 3-1.
Palma is taking a road trip to face off against Soquel at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Soquel's defense has only allowed 10.2 points per game this season, so Palma's offense will have their work cut out for them. As for Salinas, they will play host again on Thursday to welcome Everett Alvarez, where kickoff is scheduled at 7:30 p.m.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
