Football Game Preview: Los Banos Tigers vs. Merced Bears + How To Watch

The Los Banos Tigers will face off against the Merced Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Los Banos will aim to continue their five-game streak of scoring more points each contest than the last.

Los Banos is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past El Capitan 42-21 on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won three matchups by 21 points or more so far this season.

Meanwhile, Merced strolled into their game on Friday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Golden Valley 51-6. That looming 51-6 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Bears yet this season.

Los Banos better keep an eye on Dougie Andrews. He was instrumental in Merced's win, rushing for 93 yards and a pair of scores on only 11 carries. Another player making a difference was Cammarri Jackson, who rushed for 63 yards and one touchdown on only eight carries.

Merced was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 220 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 220 rushing yards in five consecutive games.

Merced's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB seven times. The heavy lifting was done by Tyson Espinoza and Gavyn Maravilla-Sok, who racked up four sacks between them. The game marked Espinoza's first with multiple sacks this season.

Merced's victory bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Los Banos, the win got them back to even at 3-3.

Los Banos was dealt a bruising 45-7 loss at the hands of Merced when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Tigers, Quintell Dupree (who threw for 191 yards and three TDs while completing 80% of his passes, and also punched in one score on the ground) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.