After three games on the road, Eastlake is heading back home. They will host the Eastwood Troopers at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Having struggled with three losses in a row, Eastlake finally turned things around against Montwood on Friday. They managed a 36-32 win over the Rams.
Eastlake had a senior duo take command as Luke Lomeli threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns and Jayden Muro picked up 72 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Eastwood blew past Socorro, posting a 49-14 victory at home. That looming 49-14 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Troopers yet this season.
Eastwood's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jayden Martinez, who rushed for 169 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries. Martinez really tore up the turf during one magnificent 83-yard run. Jude Walker was another key receiver, picking up 142 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Eastwood's defense and their four sacks. In that department, Jonathan Hernandez was the leader with three. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 6 total tackles per game. Eastwood got some further help from Konrad Joseph-Garcia: he picked up a sack, made 13 total tackles (5.0 for loss), and made 13 total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Eastwood was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 285 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 285 rushing yards in three consecutive matches.
Eastlake's victory bumped their record up to 2-3. As for Eastwood, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Eastlake has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 292.4 passing yards per game. Eastwood, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 231.4 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Thursday? There's only one way to find out.
Eastlake was taken down by Eastwood 56-22 in their previous meeting back in November of 2023. Thankfully for Eastlake, Evan Minjarez (who threw for 356 yards and three touchdowns while completing 74.2% of his passes, and also rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
