Football Recap: Merced's Win on Friday 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 strolled into their game on Friday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They claimed a resounding 49-14 victory over the Atwater Falcons. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Bears' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 110th, while the Falcons are ranked 375th).

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 a pair of 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. Brandon Peel was another major factor on D, making 17 total tackles (1.0 for loss).

Merced's win bumped their record up to 9-0. As for Atwater, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-5 record this season.

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