Football Preview: Tioga Bulldogs vs. Ballinger Bearcats
The Tioga Bulldogs will take on the Ballinger Bearcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Tioga knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past six matchups -- so hopefully Ballinger likes a good challenge.
Tioga is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They breezed by Nocona to the tune of 62-0 on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Bulldogs, who have now won five matches by 24 points or more so far this season.
Tioga got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Austin Norwood out in front who picked up 113 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Norwood showed off some serious burst, cutting upfield on a catch for 52 yards. Another receiver making a difference was Johnny Dorpinghaus, who picked up 89 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Ballinger came into Friday's contest having lost three straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They slipped by Hico 27-26 on Friday.
Cade Strube was a one-man wrecking crew for Ballinger as he rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries, and also threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Strube has become a key player for Ballinger: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 2-5 otherwise. Hunter Kresta was Strube's top target, picking up 114 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Ballinger wouldn't let Hico keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Landon Cornutt, Aiden Pena, and Dylan Page picked up one apiece. Cornutt has been hot recently, having also posted six or more total tackles the last four times he's played.
Tioga's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 33.8 points. As for Ballinger, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Tioga has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 324.9 passing yards per game. Ballinger, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 194.6 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
