The Rio Hondo Bobcats will take on the London Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Rio Hondo's defense has only allowed 14.4 points per game this season, so London's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Rio Hondo's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They really took it to Progreso for the full four quarters, racking up a 54-0 win. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Bobcats' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 439th, while the Red Ants are ranked 1185th).
Mario Lopez
| 11/06/25 vs Progreso | 203 |
| 10/31/25 vs Santa Gertrudis Academy | 274 |
| 10/24/25 @ Raymondville | 189 |
| 10/17/25 vs Lyford | 230 |
| 10/10/25 @ Falfurrias | 104 |
| + 7 more games |
Rio Hondo's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Mario Lopez, who rushed for 203 yards and three scores on only nine carries. Lopez's rushing production has been exceptional for a while as that marked his 12th straight game with at least 104 rushing yards dating back to last season. Matthew Lopez was another key signal caller, throwing for 174 yards and four touchdowns while completing 87.5% of his passes.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Rio Hondo was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 227 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 160 rushing yards in 12 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 12 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Joel Medina, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, London had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 33.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 38-35 win over the Bulldogs.
A big part of London's victory came down to the chemistry between Alex Manning and his top target Maddox Jennings. Manning threw for 284 yards and four TDs while picking up 10.5 yards per attempt while Jennings picked up 192 receiving yards and four scores. Jennings was no stranger to the big play, lighting up the secondary with a catch that went for 65 yards.
London's win bumped their record up to 6-4. As for Rio Hondo, their victory bumped their record up to 9-1.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Rio Hondo has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 215.2 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, London has preferred to attack from the air: they average 281.9 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Everything came up roses for Rio Hondo against London in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, as the squad secured a 52-20 win. Will the Bobcats repeat their success, or do the Pirates have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
