Football Game Preview: Acalanes Dons vs. Benicia Panthers

The Acalanes Dons will square off against the Benicia Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Benicia will take on a team with plenty of momentum: Acalanes extended their winning streak to five on Friday. The Dons simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Mt. Diablo 56-0. Given the Dons' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 62nd, while the Red Devils are ranked 566th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.

Josh Elerts

Rushing Yards

09/26/25 @ Mt. Diablo	169
09/19/25 @ College Park	107
09/12/25 @ St. Ignatius College Preparatory	64
09/05/25 vs Menlo-Atherton	171
08/29/25 vs Archbishop Mitty	46

Acalanes' victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Josh Elerts, who rushed for 169 yards and three scores on only 15 carries. With that strong performance, Elerts is now averaging an impressive 111.4 rushing yards per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Winkles, who threw for 277 yards and four TDs on only 18 passes.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Acalanes was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 270 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2024.

On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Acalanes' defense and their three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Elerts, Deonte Littlejohn, and Bryce Birdsong, who each picked up one sack apiece.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Benicia). They blew past Encinal, posting a 48-0 win. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Panthers just coasted through the last quarter.

Acalanes' victory bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Benicia, their win bumped their record up to 2-3.

Everything came up roses for Acalanes against Benicia when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 52-0 victory. Will the Dons repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.