The Strathmore Spartans will be playing at home against the Woodlake Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Strathmore had no problem doing just that on Friday. They took their matchup at home with ease, bagging a 49-14 victory over Kern Valley. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as Strathmore just coasted through the last quarter.
Jacob Poole continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 185 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 9.7 yards per carry. The team also got some help courtesy of Gerardo Ruiz, who rushed for 73 yards and three touchdowns.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Kern Valley to a paltry 193 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Strathmore's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid him out six times before it was all said and done. The heavy lifting was done by Julian Ceballos and Pedro Corona who racked up six sacks between them.
Meanwhile, Woodlake came tearing into Friday's contest with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 30 points) and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on Minarets with a sharp 28-6 victory.
Isaiah Taylor was his usual excellent self, rushing for 215 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.4 yards per carry.
Their wins bumped Strathmore to 7-4 and Woodlake to 6-4.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's contest: Strathmore has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 180.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Woodlake struggles in that department as they've been averaging 177.7 per game. It's looking like Thursday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Strathmore took their win against Woodlake when the teams last played back in October by a conclusive 22-0. Does Strathmore have another victory up their sleeve, or will Woodlake turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
