Two dominant backs in Daniel Martinez and James Jaime are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Santa Maria Cougars will host the Premont Cowboys at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 851 yards in their previous games.
Santa Maria is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Three Rivers on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Santa Maria took a blow against Three Rivers, falling 60-28. The Cougars haven't had much luck with the Bulldogs recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.
Despite the defeat, Santa Maria got top-tier performance from Martinez, who rushed for 335 yards and a touchdown while picking up 10.5 yards per carry. Those 335 rushing yards gave Martinez a new career-high.
Even though they lost, Santa Maria was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 402 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Premont). They simply couldn't be stopped on Thursday as they easily beat Kaufer 42-7. The result was nothing new for the Cowboys, who have now won four matches by 20 points or more so far this season.
Premont found their leader in freshman Jaime, who rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries, and also picked up 30 receiving yards. Demarcos Gonzalez was another key player, rushing for 25 yards and two touchdowns.
Santa Maria's loss ended a five-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 7-2. As for Premont, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Santa Maria has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 216.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Premont struggles in that department as they've been averaging 230.5. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Santa Maria against Premont when the teams last played back in November of 2023, as the squad secured a 65-14 win. In that game, Santa Maria amassed a halftime lead of 28-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
