Football Preview: Bethlehem Center Bulldogs vs. California Trojans
The Bethlehem Center Bulldogs will challenge the California Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Having struggled with nine losses in a row dating back to last season, Bethlehem Center finally turned things around against Mapletown on Monday. They claimed a resounding 46-6 win over the Maples on the road. The Bulldogs' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Meanwhile, California had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 48 points) and they went ahead and made it five on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Pioneers 48-14 on the road. Considering the Trojans have won six games by more than 33 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Lee Qualk was his usual excellent self, rushing for 246 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 8.2 yards per carry. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his sixth straight game with at least 149 rushing yards dating back to last season. Adin Keyes was another key player, gaining 129 total yards.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, California was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 351 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 196 rushing yards in six consecutive contests.
California's defense made their presence known, laying out Lane Allison. four times. Leading the way was Niko Georgagis with two sacks.
Bethlehem Center's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-6. As for California, their win bumped their record up to 6-2.
Bethlehem Center was dealt a bruising 62-6 defeat at the hands of California when the teams last played back in October of 2023. That match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Bethlehem Center was down 36-6.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps