The O'Connor Panthers will take on the Taft Raiders at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (O'Connor has three straight victories, Taft has five straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Saturday, O'Connor really took it to Stevens for the full four quarters, racking up a 38-6 win. Considering the Panthers have won three contests by more than 23 points this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Wyatt McKenzie
| 11/01/25 @ Stevens | 201 |
| 10/23/25 vs Holmes | 138 |
| 10/17/25 @ Marshall | 105 |
| 09/19/25 vs Sotomayor | 86 |
| 09/13/25 @ Warren | 99 |
| + 2 more games |
Wyatt McKenzie continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 201 yards and three scores while picking up 7.7 yards per carry. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 113.7 rushing yards per game. Another player making a difference was Jake Garza, who rushed for 48 yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: O'Connor was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 340 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Taft came up short against Brennan on Friday and fell 35-28. While losing is never fun, the Raiders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 512th, while the Bears are ranked 98th).
O'Connor will have to contain Tucker Vogel as he made an impact in Taft's last game. He rushed for 201 yards and one touchdown, and also threw for 104 yards and one TD. Taft's leading receiver David Aguirre was Vogel's top target yet again, picking up 100 receiving yards and one score.
Taft's loss dropped their record down to 3-6. As for O'Connor, their victory bumped their record up to 4-5.
Saturday's matchup might be decided on the ground. O'Connor has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 182.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Taft struggles in that department as they've been averaging 231 rushing yards. There's a good chance Saturday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
O'Connor was dealt a bruising 44-10 defeat at the hands of Taft when the teams last played back in November of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Vogel, who rushed for 329 yards and one touchdown while picking up 15.7 yards per carry, and also threw for 25 yards and a pair of TDs. Now that the Panthers know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
