Football Recap: Independence Takes a Loss

After soaring to 50 points the game before, Independence was a bit more limited in their matchup on Saturday. They were dealt a 42-6 loss at the hands of the Merced Bears. While losing is never fun, the 76ers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 414th, while the Bears are ranked 41st).

76ers

Previous 5 Games

09/13/25 vs Merced	6-42
09/11/25 vs Evergreen Valley	50-0
09/10/25 vs Overfelt	39-6
09/05/25 vs Homestead	28-0
09/02/25 @ MacDonald	22-2

Independence moved to 4-2 with that defeat, which also ended their four-game winning streak. As for Merced, the win was the sixth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 10-1.

Coincidentally, Independence and Merced will both be playing Milpitas the next time they take the field. The Bears will head out to face the Trojans at 10:40 a.m. on Saturday, while the 76ers will play them later in the day, at 12:20 p.m.