The Granger Lions varsity football team will face another test on Friday, Oct. 24, when it hosts the Somerville Yeguas.
Last season, the Lions’ only district loss came at the hands of the Yeguas, and they’ll look for a different outcome this year.
Granger enters the matchup with one of its most dominant teams in recent memory, having defeated every opponent on its schedule by double digits. The Lions are outscoring their opponents by an average of 35 points per game.
The Lions’ offense is powered by senior quarterback Wyatt Rochner and senior running back Caleb Hobratsch, a dynamic duo that poses a major challenge for opposing defenses. Both players have proven capable of taking over games in multiple ways.
Hobratsch is coming off his best performance of the season, rushing for five touchdowns in a 56-14 win over Iola last week. Rochner was equally effective, throwing a pair of touchdown passes to complement the ground attack.
Rochner has a wealth of veteran targets in seniors Caleb Tucker, Kael Jackson and Joseph Sifuentes, all of whom have found the end zone multiple times this season.
This high-powered offense will be matched up against a Somerville defense allowing 31.5 points per game. The Yeguas are coming off their best performance of the season — a 54-34 victory over Bartlett.
Offensively, Somerville is led by junior quarterback Andrew Espinoza, who has thrown for 1,291 yards and 14 touchdowns.
His top target, sophomore Jayden Daniels, has recorded 559 yards and four scores. Senior running back Ja’Keith Daniels leads the rushing attack with 883 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The Granger defense will be tested against a balanced Yeguas offense capable of striking quickly through the air or on the ground.
For Granger, the keys to victory will be avoiding turnovers and maintaining offensive efficiency. The Lions enter the game as the favorite, but extra possessions created by takeaways could help Somerville keep things close.
