Football Preview: Bakersfield Drillers vs. Ridgeview Wolf Pack
Bakersfield has gone 7-2 against Ridgeview recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Bakersfield Drillers will welcome the Ridgeview Wolf Pack at 7:30 p.m. Bakersfield is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 42.5 points per game this season.
Bakersfield is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Bakersfield Christian just ended the team's seven-game winning streak on Friday. They were just a hair shy of victory and fell 24-23 to the Eagles. That makes it the first time this season the Drillers have let down their home crowd.
Despite the defeat, Bakersfield got top-tier performance from Brison Abbott, who rushed for 190 yards and a touchdown while picking up 10.0 yards per carry. Abbott's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 101 rushing yards dating back to last season. Harvey Rogers III made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Even though they lost, Bakersfield was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 269 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 185 rushing yards in three consecutive games.
Bakersfield didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Daniel Reyes and Rogers III.
Meanwhile, Ridgeview was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their 13th straight loss dating back to last season. They fell just short of Stockdale by a score of 21-19. The Wolf Pack gained 81 more yards on the day, but it was the Mustangs that made the best use of them.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Francisco Palma, who picked up 72 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Having lost for the first time this season, Bakersfield fell to 7-1. As for Ridgeview, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-8.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Bakersfield has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 380.5 total yards per game. It's a different story for Ridgeview, though, as they've been averaging only 230.2. Will Bakersfield be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will Ridgeview flip the script?
Everything came up roses for Bakersfield against Ridgeview when the teams last played back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 58-0 win. Does Bakersfield have another victory up their sleeve, or will Ridgeview turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
