Las Plumas hasn't had much luck against Orland recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Las Plumas Thunderbirds will welcome the Orland Trojans at 7:30 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Las Plumas will head into Friday's contest on the come-up: they were handed a 34-point loss in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against Live Oak on Friday. Las Plumas sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 22-20 win over Live Oak.
Las Plumas wouldn't let Live Oak keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Las Plumas can thank Junior Reynoso and Colton Rosauer for forcing both of them.
Meanwhile, Orland's offense rose to the challenge against a Bulldogs defense that boasted an average of only 14 points allowed on Friday. Orland enjoyed a cozy 35-17 victory over Gridley.
Luke Schager was his usual excellent self, rushing for 224 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.7 yards per carry. Those 224 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Manny Rodriguez, who rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Orland was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 308 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 166 rushing yards in six consecutive games.
Las Plumas' win was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-2. As for Orland, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 4-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Las Plumas has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 175 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Orland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 306. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Las Plumas took a serious blow against Orland when the teams last played back in October of 2023, falling 57-20. Can Las Plumas avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
