Preview: Rudder Rangers vs. Montgomery Bears
The Rudder Rangers will head out on the road to face off against the Montgomery Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Rudder is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.
Last Friday, things could have been worse for Rudder, but they could have been a whole lot better as they took a 43-24 loss to Randle. While losing is never fun, Rudder can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 430th, while Randle is ranked 123rd).
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Jaquise Martin, who picked up 105 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Martin's longest reception was for an incredible 75 yards. Another player making a difference was Bruce Hendrick, who rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries.
Meanwhile, Montgomery's nine-game losing streak dating back to last season came to an end on Thursday. They blew past Lamar Consolidated 52-20 on the road. The win was just what Montgomery needed coming off of a 56-28 loss in their prior matchup.
It was another big night for Reggie Williams, who rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries, and also threw for 219 yards and four touchdowns on only 17 passes. Talan Shavers also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
Randle's win bumped their season record to 8-1 while Rudder's defeat dropped theirs to 3-6.
Rudder lost to Montgomery on the road by a decisive 42-28 margin in their previous matchup back in November of 2022. Can Rudder avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
