Two dominant backs in Ezra Meuller and Tyler Goodman are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Norwalk Lancers and the Paramount Pirates are set to duel on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Paramount is hoping to do what Firebaugh couldn't on Friday: put an end to Norwalk's winning streak, which now stands at five games. Norwalk claimed a resounding 49-12 win over Firebaugh on the road. Given the Lancers' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 234th, while the Falcons are ranked 882nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meuller continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 186 yards and five touchdowns on only nine carries. His longest rush was for an incredible 71 yards. Diego Cerritos was another key back, rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Norwalk's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB four times. Cerritos was especially locked on to Firebaugh's QB and sacked him twice. Cerritos' rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 106 rushing yards. Norwalk got some further help from Joel Espinoza: he picked up a sack and made eight total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Norwalk was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 367 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 296 rushing yards in eight consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Paramount's offense rose to the challenge against a Knights defense that boasted an average of only 9.5 points allowed on Friday. Paramount took their matchup at home with ease, bagging a 32-3 victory over Lynwood. Winning may never get old, but the Pirates sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Goodman was his usual excellent self, rushing for 251 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 12.6 yards per carry. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 116.4 rushing yards per game.
Norwalk's win bumped their record up to 7-1. As for Paramount, their victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-1.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Norwalk has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 410 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Paramount struggles in that department as they've been averaging 251.1. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Norwalk came up short against Paramount in their previous matchup back in November of 2014, falling 18-14. Thankfully for Norwalk, Cassh Maluia (who rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
