Football Recap: Merced Falls Short of Vanden in the Playoffs

It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Merced can now relate to. They and the Vanden Vikings were almost perfectly matched up on Friday, but they suffered a 26-25 loss. The game marked the Bears' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Dougie Andrews

Rushing Yards

09/19/25 vs Madera	149
10/03/25 vs Golden Valley	93
10/17/25 @ El Capitan	89
10/10/25 @ Los Banos	89
11/14/25 vs Vanden	86

When it comes to explaining why Merced lost, don't look at Hayden Czirban. Despite the final result, he picked up 94 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Czirban also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, picking up two sacks and making 11 total tackles. Dougie Andrews handled things on the ground, rushing for 86 yards.

Even if they lost, Merced's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. In that department, Czirban was the leader with two.

Merced's defeat dropped their record down to 10-1. As for Vanden, the victory (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 9-2.

Merced does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Vanden, they will venture away from home to square off against Oakdale at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Vikings' defense better be ready for this one: the Mustangs have averaged an impressive 48.9 points per game this season.