Football Game Preview: Atwater Falcons vs. Merced Bears + Official Tickets

Atwater is 1-8 against Merced since October of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Falcons will challenge the Bears at 7:00 p.m.

On Friday, Atwater didn't have quite enough to beat Golden Valley and fell 27-24. Despite 120 more yards than the Cougars, the Falcons couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.

Atwater's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Ali Banks Jr, who rushed for 83 yards and one TD on only ten carries, and Durrell Morrison, who rushed for 64 yards and one score on only nine carries.

Meanwhile, Merced strolled into their game on Friday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They claimed a resounding 63-6 win over El Capitan. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four contests by 32 points or more this season.

Merced's win came from a few key players Atwater will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Dougie Andrews, who rushed for 89 yards and three touchdowns. Those three rushing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. Another signal caller making a difference was Vicente Cortez, who threw for 270 yards and one TD while completing 88.2% of his passes.

Special teams was a major factor in the game for Merced, racking up 15 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Isayah Smith, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.

Atwater's loss dropped their record down to 4-4. As for Merced, their victory bumped their record up to 8-0.

Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Atwater has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 219.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Merced struggles in that department as they've been averaging 172.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.

Atwater couldn't quite finish off Merced in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 and fell 27-24. Can the Falcons avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.