Football Game Preview: Encinal Jets vs. Concord Bears

The Encinal Jets will face off against the Concord Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Encinal has given up an average of 33 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Encinal's offense might be in the hot seat on Friday considering what happened against Benicia on Friday. They were dealt a 48-0 defeat at the hands of the Panthers. While losing is never fun, the Jets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 944th, while the Panthers are ranked 467th).

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Concord, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Saturday. They took their contest on Friday with ease, bagging a 41-14 victory over Mt. Eden. The Bears haven't had any issues with the Monarchs recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.

A big part of Concord's victory came down to the chemistry between Juan Gonzalez and his top target Andrew Lopez. Gonzalez rushed for 79 yards and two scores on only eight carries while Lopez picked up 141 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. What's more, Gonzalez racked up 161.5 passer rating, the most he's had since back in September of 2024. Max Dashner was in the mix too, providing Concord with one TD.

Encinal's loss dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Concord, they now have a winning record of 3-2.

Encinal came up short against Concord in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, falling 29-22. Thankfully for the Jets, Jayden Reger (who rushed for 276 yards and two scores while picking up 9.5 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.