Football Game Preview: Three Rivers Bulldogs vs. Santa Maria Cougars

Three Rivers is a perfect 5-0 against Santa Maria since October of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Bulldogs will head out on the road to face off against the Cougars at 7:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Santa Maria will be up against a hot Three Rivers team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. The Bulldogs blew past Kaufer, posting a 58-12 win. With the Bulldogs ahead 45-0 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

Ethan Conn

Total Touchdowns

09/26/25 @ Freer	4
10/24/25 vs Kaufer	3
09/12/25 vs La Pryor	3
10/17/25 @ Premont	2
09/05/25 vs Nixon-Smiley	1

Three Rivers found their leader in sophomore Paxton Soliz, who threw for 298 yards and six touchdowns while completing 90.9% of his passes, and also rushed for 41 yards and a pair of TDs. Ethan Conn was in the mix as well, providing the Bulldogs with three scores.

Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Santa Maria over Skidmore-Tynan in every quarter on their way to victory on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Cougars blew the Bobcats out of the water with a 42-12 final score. 42 seems to be a good number for the Cougars as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.

Three Rivers better keep an eye on Daniel Martinez. He was instrumental in Santa Maria's win, rushing for 310 yards and five TDs while picking up 11.5 yards per carry. Martinez was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 57 yards. Luis Otero was another key player, rushing for 63 yards and one touchdown.

The win got Three Rivers back to even at 4-4. As for Santa Maria, their victory bumped their record up to 5-3.

Everything came up roses for Three Rivers against Santa Maria when the teams last played back in November of 2024, as the team secured a 60-28 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Martinez, who rushed for 335 yards and one score while picking up 10.5 yards per carry. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Bulldogs still be able to contain Martinez? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.