Trona is on a six-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Mammoth is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Trona Tornadoes will host the Mammoth Huskies at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Trona will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any points two weeks ago, then bounced right back against Kern Resource Center on Friday. Trona breezed by Kern Resource Center on the road to the tune of 34-7.
Gabe Horta was his usual excellent self, rushing for 130 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries. Another player making a difference was Izaias Horta, who rushed for 20 yards and a touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Trona was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 322 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mammoth). They blew past Lone Pine, posting a 71-36 victory on the road. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Huskies considering their 12-point performance the contest before.
Tanner Knott continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 163 yards and four touchdowns on only 13 carries, while also throwing for 89 yards and two touchdowns. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 100.4 rushing yards per game. Eli Ericson was Knott's top target, rushing for 52 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries, while also catching a touchdown.
Mammoth wouldn't let Lone Pine keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force four fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Knott, Kai Parks, Dj Gray, and Ericson picked up one apiece. Parks is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last 16 games he's played dating back to last season.
Trona's win bumped their record up to 6-2. As for Mammoth, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.
Saturday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Trona has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 183.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mammoth struggles in that department as they've been averaging 175.5. It's looking like Saturday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Trona was dealt a bruising 65-6 defeat at the hands of Mammoth in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Knott, who threw for 61 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries. Now that Trona knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps