Football Recap: Merced Extends Winning Streak to Nine

Bears

Previous Games

10/24/25 vs Atwater	49-14
10/17/25 @ El Capitan	63-6
10/10/25 @ Los Banos	37-21
10/03/25 vs Golden Valley	51-6
09/26/25 @ Enochs	56-12
+ 4 more games

Merced extended their winning streak to nine on Friday, bumping them up to 9-0. They blew past the Atwater Falcons, posting a 49-14 win. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by 32 points or more this season.

Merced's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Vicente Cortez, who threw for 160 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 passes, and also punched in one score on the ground. Dougie Andrews helped Cortez out on the ground, rushing for 82 yards and a pair of TDs on only six carries.

Merced didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Isayah Smith. Another thorn in Atwater's side was Brandon Peel, who made 17 total tackles (1.0 for loss).

As for Atwater, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-5 record this season. The matchup marked their lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Although Atwater took the loss, they still got scores from Vinny Valladao and Durrell Morrison.

We've got plenty of inter-league action coming up soon. Merced will face off against rival Buhach Colony at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Atwater is set to square off against their familiar foe Los Banos at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.