Football Preview: Ballinger Bearcats vs. Brady Bulldogs
The Ballinger Bearcats will take on the Brady Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Brady is hoping to do what San Angelo Texas Leadership Charter Academy couldn't on Friday: put an end to Ballinger's winning streak, which now stands at three games. Ballinger claimed a resounding 61-6 win over San Angelo Texas Leadership Charter Academy on the road.
Cade Strube had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries, and also threw for 76 yards and a touchdown. His longest rush was for an incredible 72 yards. Braden Belk was another key player, rushing for 79 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Ballinger was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 404 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 158 rushing yards in four consecutive games dating back to last season.
Ballinger's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Aven Ochoa and Strube. The dominant performance gave Strube a new career-high in rushing yards.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Friday Brady sidestepped Ozona for a 47-45 victory.
Brady's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Johnny Menefield led the charge by rushing for 157 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Sean Jacoby, who threw for 126 yards and three touchdowns while completing 90% of his passes.
Ballinger's win bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Brady, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-1.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Ballinger has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 335.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Brady struggles in that department as they've been averaging 260.3. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Ballinger came up short against Brady in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, falling 34-27. Thankfully for Ballinger, Zeke Jones (who rushed for 179 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.0 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
