Two dominant backs in Dante Dupuch and Jeremiah Martinez are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Mullen Mustangs will stay at home for another week and welcome the Horizon Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Mullen is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Erie on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Mullen was outmatched by Erie at home and fell 48-13. The Mustangs have struggled against the Tigers recently, as their game on Friday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Mullen might have lost, but man, Dupuch was a machine: he rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Horizon strolled past Vista PEAK Prep with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 27-12. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Hawks.
Martinez continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 278 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.9 yards per carry, and also picking up 64 receiving yards and a touchdown. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 118 rushing yards dating back to last season.
Horizon was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 344 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 87 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last four contests they've averaged 227.5.
Mullen's defeat dropped their record down to 2-6. As for Horizon, their victory bumped their record up to 3-5.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Mullen has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 147.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Horizon struggles in that department as they've been averaging 157.2. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Mullen took their win against Horizon in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 by a conclusive 34-10. Will Mullen repeat their success, or does Horizon have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
