Football Preview: Coahoma Bulldogs vs. Merkel Badgers
The Coahoma Bulldogs will be playing at home against the Merkel Badgers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Coahoma will be looking to keep their four-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.
Coahoma will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up six points back in October, then bounced right back against Stanton on Friday. Coahoma enjoyed a cozy 57-40 victory over Stanton. The Bulldogs pushed the score to 43-20 by the end of the third, a deficit the Buffaloes cut but never quite recovered from.
Jaidyn Vineyard continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 347 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 10.8 yards per carry. He was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 57 yards. Boyd Cox was another key player, throwing for 294 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 11.3 yards per attempt.
Meanwhile, Merkel is still winless after their contest against Grape Creek on Friday, but the team can take solace in the fact it was the closest they've come to winning. They fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 14-12. Having soared to a lofty 31 points in the game before, the Badgers couldn't push the score so high this time.
Despite the defeat, Merkel had strong showings from Kaden Blubaugh, who picked up 86 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Cj Walcott, who picked up 60 receiving yards and a touchdown. Walcott was even better on defense, forcing a fumble and making 13 total tackles.
Merkel wouldn't let Grape Creek keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Merkel can thank Brighton Stewart and Walcott for forcing both of them. Stewart also set a new season high mark in total tackles with ten.
Merkel's loss dropped their record down to 0-9. As for Coahoma, their win bumped their record up to 5-3.
Friday's match might be decided in the trenches. Coahoma has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 216.1 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Merkel, though, as they've been averaging only 39.6. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Coahoma came up short against Merkel in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, falling 34-27. Will Coahoma have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
