Preview: Central Valley Hawks vs. Merced Bears
Central Valley is 0-4 against Merced since September of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Central Valley Hawks will be playing at home against the Merced Bears at 7:00 p.m. Central Valley will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps California Rankings (they are ranked 577th, while Merced is ranked 168th).
Central Valley's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They took a 39-29 hit to the loss column at the hands of Atwater.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Darrius Jackson, who threw for 161 yards and a touchdown while completing 88.9% of his passes. Another player making a difference was Anthony Ramirez, who gained 135 total yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Merced can now show off five landslide victories after their most recent contest on Friday. They breezed by Buhach Colony at home to the tune of 59-8. With Merced ahead 52-0 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Central Valley's defeat was their third straight on the road, which dropped their overall record down to 4-5. The slump could be explained by some tough opposition over that stretch, namely Atwater, Patterson, and Golden Valley. As for Merced, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season.
Central Valley took a serious blow against Merced in their previous matchup back in October of 2022, falling 56-14. Will Central Valley have more luck at home instead of on the road?
