Football Game Preview: Concord Bears vs. Encinal Jets

The Concord Bears will head out on the road to take on the Encinal Jets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Concord knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past three matchups -- so hopefully Encinal likes a good challenge.

Concord barely beat Mt. Eden the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Bears simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat the Monarchs 41-14. The Bears have beaten the Monarchs the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Monarchs has come to flipping the script.

A big part of Concord's win came down to the chemistry between Juan Gonzalez and his top target Andrew Lopez. Gonzalez rushed for 79 yards and a pair of scores on only eight carries while Lopez picked up 141 receiving yards and two TDs. Lopez's longest reception was for an impressive 58 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per catch total. Max Dashner was in the mix too, providing Concord with one touchdown.

Meanwhile, Encinal fell victim to Benicia and their airtight defense on Friday. They were beaten by the Panthers 48-0. 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).

Concord now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Encinal, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.

Concord beat Encinal 29-22 in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Jets' Alexander Marston, who rushed for 101 yards and one score on only 14 carries. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Bears to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.