Preview: Falfurrias Fightin' Jerseys vs. Rio Hondo Bobcats
Falfurrias is 0-1 against Rio Hondo since October of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Falfurrias Fightin' Jerseys will head out on the road to face off against the Rio Hondo Bobcats at 7:30 p.m. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, Falfurrias got themselves on the board against Progreso, but Progreso never followed suit. They blew past the Red Ants 53-0 at home. The victory was just what Falfurrias needed coming off of a 42-21 loss in their prior matchup.
Falfurrias got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Romeo Gutierrez out in front who rushed for 85 yards and three touchdowns. Rene Martinez was another key contributor, gaining 146 total yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Rio Hondo had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three two weeks ago. They strolled past Santa Gertrudis Academy with points to spare, taking the game 20-6.
Ruben Atkinson looked great while leading his team to the win, rushing for 35 yards and three touchdowns. Rio Hondo also got help from Keyan Lopez who showed off his sure hands for 94 receiving yards.
Falfurrias now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Rio Hondo, their win was their seventh straight on the road (dating back to last season), which bumped their overall record up to 5-2.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday' matchup: Falfurrias has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 277.1 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Rio Hondo, though, as they've been averaging only 86.8 per game. How will Rio Hondo fare against such a dominant running game?
Falfurrias came up short against Rio Hondo in their previous matchup back in October of 2022, falling 28-22. Can Falfurrias avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
