Two dominant backs in Enrique Hernandez and Thomas Benting are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. After each having a week off, the Calaveras Red Hawks and the Le Grand Bulldogs will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. on the 14th. Calaveras will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each matchup than the last.
On Friday, everything came up roses for Calaveras against Bret Harte as the team secured a 55-6 victory. The Red Hawks haven't had any issues with the Bullfrogs recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive win against them.
Ryan Clifton had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 104 yards and three TDs on only five carries. Owen Shahan was another major influence, as he rushed for 54 yards and ran in a TD.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Calaveras was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 361 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 234 rushing yards in three consecutive games.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 13 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Clifton, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Le Grand played a tough contest on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They lost 56-34 to Mariposa County. The Bulldogs were down 42-21 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.
Calaveras will have to keep a close watch on Diego Martinez and Blake Lua, a pair of players who had a big impact on Le Grand's prior game. Martinez threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns, while Lua picked up 170 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
Calaveras' record now sits at 8-2. As for Le Grand, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Calaveras has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 247.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Le Grand struggles in that department as they've been averaging 169.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
