The Livingston Wolves are taking a road trip to square off against the Lathrop Spartans at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
On Monday, Livingston and Central Valley were almost perfectly matched up, but Livingston suffered a 7-6 defeat.
Meanwhile, Lathrop beat Johansen 30-18 on Monday. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Spartans' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' California flag football rankings (they are ranked 169th, while the Vikings are ranked 654th).
Livingston better keep an eye on JaLeiyah Ray. She was instrumental in Lathrop's win, rushing for 114 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries, while also picking up 42 receiving yards and one score. Ray also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making two total tackles and defending one pass in addition to snagging an interception.
Lathrop was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 265 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 76.1 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last five games they've averaged 189.7.
Lathrop didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Dayanna Martinez and Ray. Martinez is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as she's now made five or more in each of the last five games she's played.
Livingston has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 9-14 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's defensive effort, having only surrendered 13.3 points on average over those games. As for Lathrop, their record is now 14-3.
Livingston and Lathrop were neck-and-neck in their previous meeting back in September, but Livingston came up empty-handed after a 14-13 loss. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Spartans' Moira Ramones, who picked up 38 receiving yards and a pair of TDs, and also rushed for 55 yards. Now that the Wolves know the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
