Pittsburg is 10-0 against Heritage since October of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Pittsburg Pirates and the Heritage Patriots are set to duel. Both are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Pittsburg's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Freedom 49-0 at home. The Pirates' offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.
It was another big night for Marley Alcantara, who threw for 238 yards and five touchdowns while completing 87.5% of his passes. Jamar Searcy was another key player, rushing for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Heritage waltzed into their game on Friday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They claimed a resounding 38-7 win over the Wolverines at home. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 330th, while the Wolverines are ranked 701st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Heritage relied on the efforts of Austin Peters, who threw for 145 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 passes, and Ilias Muhammad, who gained 123 total yards and a touchdown. What's more, Muhammad also racked up 65 rushing yards, the mosthe's had since back in November of 2023.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Heritage was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 200 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 196 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.
Pittsburg pushed their record up to 5-1 with the victory, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season. As for Heritage, their win bumped their record up to an identical 5-1.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Pittsburg has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 228.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Heritage struggles in that department as they've been averaging 152.8. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Pittsburg against Heritage in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 56-28 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Heritage's Mekhi Adanandus, who rushed for 77 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Pittsburg still be able to contain Adanandus? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
