Football Recap: De Leon Takes a Loss

It was a good run, but De Leon unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Friday. They and the Hamilton Bulldogs were almost perfectly matched up, but the Bearcats suffered a 27-26 loss. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Bearcats of the 35-28 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in November of 2024.

De Leon's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Heston Jobe, who threw for 383 yards and four touchdowns while completing 73.5% of his passes. Jobe is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in each of the last five games he's played. Jake Cooper was Jobe's top target, picking up 130 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

De Leon's defeat was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 7-3. As for Hamilton, the win (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 8-2.

The two teams are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. De Leon will face off against Wolfe City at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Bearcats will be up against the Wolves' rather soft defense (which has allowed 36.6 points per game), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. As for Hamilton, they will take on Tioga at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.