Football Game Preview: Lorena Leopards vs. Connally Cadets + How To Watch

Lorena and Connally are an even 3-3 against one another since October of 2015, but not for long. The Leopards will head out to square off against the Cadets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 873 yards in their previous games.

Lorena managed to slip by Gatesville the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Leopards lost 45-21 to the Hornets on Friday. The Leopards were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 28-7.

Zachary Espinoza

Receiving Yards

10/17/25 vs Gatesville	138
09/05/25 @ Malakoff	75
10/02/25 vs Lampasas	66
09/12/25 vs Franklin	63
08/29/25 vs Regents	45

Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Jaxon Blancett, who threw for 375 yards and one touchdown, and also punched in one rushing score. A healthy portion of Blancett's aerial production (138 yards to be exact) went to Zachary Espinoza, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.

Meanwhile, Connally was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They took a 41-27 bruising from Robinson. While losing is never fun, the Cadets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 361st, while the Rockets are ranked 174th).

Lorena will have to contain Caden Coffman as he made an impact in Connally's last game. He threw for 258 yards and four TDs while completing 75% of his passes, and also rushed for 85 yards. Another player making a difference was Braeden Ford, who rushed for 121 yards on only 14 carries.

Lorena's loss dropped their record down to 2-5. As for Connally, their defeat dropped their record down to an identical 2-5.

Friday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Blancett and Coffman. Blancett just won't slow down this season and has thrown 20 touchdowns while averaging 337.6 passing yards per game. Coffman has been a dominant force too and has thrown 17 touchdowns while averaging 248.6 passing yards per game.

Lorena was dealt a bruising 34-7 loss at the hands of Connally in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Ford, who rushed for 166 yards and a pair of scores while picking up 8.3 yards per carry. Now that the Leopards know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.