Atwater is 1-8 against Merced since October of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Atwater Falcons will host the Merced Bears at 7:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a four-game winning streak alive.
Last Friday, Atwater strolled past Golden Valley with points to spare, taking the game 28-14.
Atwater's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Jeremiah Delarosa, who rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries, and Ali Banks Jr, who threw for 125 yards and a touchdown on only ten passes.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Atwater was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 224 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 224 rushing yards in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Merced got the win against El Capitan on Friday by a conclusive 54-32. The result was nothing new for the Bears, who have now won five matchups by 22 points or more so far this season.
Merced's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Vicente Cortez led the charge by rushing for 37 yards and two touchdowns, while also throwing for 157 yards and two touchdowns while completing 73.7% of his passes. Cortez has become a key player for Merced: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 1-2 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Adarias Morales-Saetern, who rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
Atwater pushed their record up to 7-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. As for Merced, their win bumped their record up to 5-3.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Atwater has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 256.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Merced struggles in that department as they've been averaging 210.8. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Atwater was dealt a bruising 48-14 defeat at the hands of Merced in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Thankfully for Atwater, Chase Smith (who rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
