The Sharyland Rattlers will venture away from home to square off against the Mercedes Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Sharyland is no doubt hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses.
Last Friday, Sharyland was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 33-27 to Pioneer.
The losing side was boosted by Calvin Harris, who rushed for 24 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 174 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Mercedes had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 24.3 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They blew past the Vikings 48-21. Considering the Tigers have won five matchups by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Robert Sanchez was his usual excellent self, rushing for 222 yards and four touchdowns on only 15 carries. His longest rush was for an impressive 62 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Another player making a difference was Aaron Cortez, who gained 284 total yards and a touchdown.
Mercedes was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 328 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 169 rushing yards in ten consecutive matches.
Sharyland's defeat dropped their record down to 5-5. As for Mercedes, their victory bumped their record up to 7-3.
Sharyland strolled past Mercedes in their previous matchup back in September by a score of 56-40. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Sanchez, who rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.9 yards per carry, and also caught a touchdown. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Sharyland still be able to contain Sanchez? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
