Preview: Bella Vista Broncos vs. McClatchy Lions
The Bella Vista Broncos will head out on the road to face off against the McClatchy Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The pair have had a bumpy ride up to this point with five consecutive losses apiece.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 55-10, which was the final score in Bella Vista's tilt against Woodcreek on Friday. While losing is never fun, Bella Vista can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 494th, while Woodcreek is ranked 110th).
Meanwhile, McClatchy was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 20-16 to Burbank.
Despite the defeat, McClatchy had strong showings from Zayvion Barnes, who rushed for 44 yards and two touchdowns, and Samuel Hernandez-Hartman, who rushed for 106 yards. Hernandez-Hartman's longest rush was for an incredible 82 yards.
Bella Vista's loss was their fifth straight at home, which dropped their overall record down to 3-6. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 7.8 points per game. As for McClatchy, their loss dropped their record down to 1-8.
Everything went Bella Vista's way against McClatchy in their previous matchup back in October of 2022 as Bella Vista made off with a 36-14 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Bella Vista since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
