Football Game Preview: Bastrop Bears vs. Elgin Wildcats + How To Watch

Bastrop and Elgin are an even 4-4 against one another since September of 2015, but not for long. The Bears will head out on the road to face off against the Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Bastrop's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.

Bastrop's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Navarro 71-0. Given the Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 186th, while the Vikings are ranked 1134th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.

Gary Jefferson Jr.

Rushing Touchdowns

10/17/25 vs Navarro	3
10/09/25 @ Pflugerville Connally	2
09/25/25 @ McCallum	3
09/19/25 vs Crockett	3

Bastrop's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Gary Jefferson Jr., who rushed for 64 yards and three TDs on only six carries. Jefferson Jr. has been hot recently, having posted two or more rushing touchdowns the last four times he's played. Brent Carter was in the mix too, providing Bastrop with three scores.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Elgin). They simply couldn't be stopped on Thursday as they easily beat Crockett 70-26. The Wildcats not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since November 8, 2024 (when they won 55-7).

Elgin's win came from a few key players Bastrop will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jeremiah Nicholson, who rushed for 201 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 11.8 yards per carry. He was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 65 yards. Michael Mejias also helped out as he racked up 122 rushing yards.

Elgin was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 466 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 83.8 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last five games they've averaged 268.

Bastrop pushed their record up to 7-0 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Elgin, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-6.

Bastrop took their win against Elgin in their previous matchup back in October of 2024 by a conclusive 47-24 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bears since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.