Football Preview: Merced Bears vs. Atwater Falcons
Merced has gone 8-1 against Atwater recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Merced Bears will take on the Atwater Falcons at 7:00 p.m. Merced knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past seven matchups -- so hopefully Atwater likes a good challenge.
Last Friday, Merced got the win against El Capitan by a conclusive 54-32. With the Bears ahead 42-6 at the half, the match was all but over already.
Merced's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Vicente Cortez led the charge by rushing for 37 yards and two touchdowns, while also throwing for 157 yards and two touchdowns while completing 73.7% of his passes. Cortez's passing game has become a key predictor of Merced's success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 1-3 otherwise. Another back making a difference was Adarias Morales-Saetern, who rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Merced was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 310 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as El Capitan only rushed for 108.
Meanwhile, Atwater came tearing into Friday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 31 points) and they left with even more momentum. They enjoyed a cozy 28-14 victory over the Cougars.
Atwater can attribute much of their success to Jeremiah Delarosa, who rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries, and Ali Banks Jr, who threw for 125 yards and a touchdown on only ten passes.
Merced's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-3. As for Atwater, their record now sits at 7-1.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Merced has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 210.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Atwater struggles in that department as they've been averaging 256.4. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Merced against Atwater in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, as the team secured a 48-14 victory. Will Merced repeat their success, or does Atwater have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
