For the first time this season, Santee will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will take on the Marquez Gladiators at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Santee will be strutting in after a victory while Marquez will be coming in after a defeat.
Santee's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed last Friday. They really took it to West Adams for the full four quarters, racking up a 49-0 win. The matchup marked the Falcons' most dominant victory of the season so far.
Santee found their leader in freshman Keitran Lattimore, who rushed for 87 yards and a pair of scores. Lattimore also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, picking up a sack and making six total tackles (3.0 for loss).
One reason for the win was Santee's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. In that department, Aarnav Shrivastava was the leader with two.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 55 points the game before, Marquez was a bit more limited in their game on Friday. They came up short against Eagle Rock, falling 34-10. The Gladiators were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 27-3.
Santee will have to contain Marcus Juan as he made an impact in Marquez's last game. He rushed for 98 yards and one TD. Marquez also got help from Jonathan Ramirez, who showed off his sure hands for 82 receiving yards.
The win made it two in a row for Santee and bumps their season record up to 4-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 46.5 points over those games. As for Marquez, their loss dropped their record down to 4-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Santee has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 303.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Marquez struggles in that department as they've been averaging 218.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Santee couldn't quite get it done against Marquez in their previous matchup back in October of 2024 as they fell 33-21. Thankfully for the Falcons, Joshua Ayala (who rushed for 264 yards while picking up 11.0 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
