Gridley has gone 8-1 against Las Plumas recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Bulldogs will head out to take on the Thunderbirds at 7:30 p.m. Gridley is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Gridley's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Live Oak 56-0. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four contests by 20 points or more this season.
Eli Punzo
| 10/24/25 vs Live Oak | 3 |
| 09/19/25 @ Colusa | 2 |
| 10/16/25 @ Oroville | 1 |
| 10/10/25 vs Orland | 1 |
| 09/26/25 vs Paradise | 1 |
Eli Punzo continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 201 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries, while also throwing for 60 yards and a pair of TDs. Those three rushing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. Marcus Duncan was another major influence, as he rushed for 112 yards and ran in a TD.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Gridley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 389 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 178 rushing yards in 14 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Gridley didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Punzo, Benny Dewsnup, Noe Moran, and Rafael Franco picked up one apiece. Another thorn in Live Oak's side was Jason Davis Jr., who made eight total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Las Plumas, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They came out on top against Corning by a score of 42-33 on Friday. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Thunderbirds considering their 12-point performance the matchup before.
Las Plumas' win came from a few key players Gridley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Tyler Landucci, who rushed for 117 yards and two scores. The team also got some help courtesy of Branden Robinson, who threw for 164 yards and three touchdowns while completing 78.6% of his passes.
Gridley's record now sits at 8-0. As for Las Plumas, their record is now 6-2.
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Punzo and Robinson. Punzo just won't slow down this season and has thrown 8 touchdowns while averaging 33.6 passing yards per game. Robinson has been a dominant force too and has thrown 12 touchdowns while averaging 128.9 passing yards per game.
Everything came up roses for Gridley against Las Plumas in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, as the team secured a 40-6 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
