The Marquez Gladiators are taking a road trip to take on the Manual Arts Toilers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, everything came up roses for Marquez against Jefferson as the team secured a 45-16 win. The Gladiators haven't had any issues with the Democrats recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Marcus Juan
| 10/10/25 @ Jefferson | 220 |
| 10/03/25 vs Santee | 188 |
| 09/26/25 vs Eagle Rock | 98 |
| 08/28/25 vs Bell | 97 |
| 08/22/25 vs Verdugo Hills | 53 |
Marcus Juan continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 220 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 13.8 yards per carry. Those 220 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Angelo Gutierrez-Molina, who rushed for 32 yards and one touchdown.
Meanwhile, Manual Arts got themselves on the board against Dr. Maya Angelou Community on Friday, but Dr. Maya Angelou Community never followed suit. They took their game with ease, bagging a 30-0 win over the Phoenix.
A big part of Manual Arts' victory came down to the chemistry between Nasir Newell and his top target Joseph Damour. Newell threw for 135 yards and one TD on only 12 passes while Damour gained 120 total yards and a touchdown. Newell's passing game has become a key predictor of Manual Arts' success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 1-4 otherwise. Another big playmaker for the Toilers was Jordan Arnold, who returned a punt for a touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Manual Arts' defense and their three sacks. Leading the way was David Duarte with two. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 5.1 total tackles per game.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Manual Arts, adding 12 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Arnold, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Marquez's win bumped their record up to 6-2. As for Manual Arts, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
Marquez strolled past Manual Arts in their previous matchup back in November of 2024 by a score of 19-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Gladiators since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
