Two dominant backs in Blake Zanger and Jaylen Malcom are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Leigh Longhorns will venture away from home to take on the Santa Teresa Saints at 7:15 p.m. on Friday.
Leigh is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Christopher just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell 27-17 to the Cougars.
Although Leigh took the loss, they still got scores from Zanger and Miles Huntington.
Most of the squad's points came courtesy of special teams, who contributed 11 in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Huntington, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Even if they lost, Leigh's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Matthew Williams, Riley Huston, and Justin Baloca, who each picked up one sack apiece. Leigh got some further help from Williams: he picked up a sack and made nine total tackles.
Meanwhile, Santa Teresa strolled into their game on Saturday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They strolled past Live Oak with points to spare, taking the game 49-35.
Leigh better keep an eye on Salvador Guerrero. He was instrumental in Santa Teresa's win, throwing for 250 yards and six touchdowns while completing 77.8% of his passes. Prince Collins did his part for the team as well, scoring a TD off of 77 receiving yards.
Santa Teresa's win bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Leigh, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Leigh has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 189.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Santa Teresa struggles in that department as they've been averaging 177 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Leigh couldn't quite get it done against Santa Teresa in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 as they fell 44-34. Thankfully for the Longhorns, Brenton Gaches (who threw for 252 yards and a pair of TDs on only 16 passes, and also punched in two scores on the ground) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
