Hilmar has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Lathrop Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Hilmar is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They came out on top against Livingston by a score of 14-7. The score was all tied up 7-7 at the break, but the Yellowjackets were the (much) better team in the second half.
It was another big night for Caden Bailey, who rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Merek Ellerd handled things on the ground, rushing for 107 yards.
Hilmar didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Cohen Felber.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Lathrop). They took their contest two weeks ago with ease, bagging a 56-6 victory over Beyer. The result was nothing new for the Spartans, who have now won five matchups by 20 points or more so far this season.
Lathrop was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 267 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 160 rushing yards in 22 consecutive games dating back to last season.
One reason for the win was Lathrop's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Leading the way was Javier Guevara with two. Another thorn in Beyer's side was Casyn Hopping, who picked up a sack and made ten total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Lathrop's win was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 35.9 points per game. As for Hilmar, they moved to 5-6 with that victory, which also ended their three-game losing streak.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Hilmar has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 165.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Lathrop struggles in that department as they've been averaging 254.1. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything went Hilmar's way against Lathrop when the teams last played back in September of 2017, as Hilmar made off with a 35-13 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Lathrop's Michael Ramos, who rushed for 276 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.9 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Hilmar to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
