The Bethune Bobcats will challenge the Hanover Hornets at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Bethune has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with three straight losses, while Hanover will come in with four straight wins.
It was a proper cat-fight when Bethune challenged Flagler two weeks ago. Bethune came up short against Flagler, falling 42-19. The Bobcats gained 149 more yards on the day, but it was the Panthers that made the best use of them.
Despite their defeat, Bethune saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Ismael Perla, who rushed for 111 yards on only six carries, and also caught a touchdown, was perhaps the best of all. Another rusher making a difference was Wyatt King, who rushed for 134 yards on only 14 carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Bethune was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 277 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Flagler only rushed for 118.
Bethune wouldn't let Flagler keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. Johnny Gitschlag was the leader in that area as all came courtesy of his dominant performance.
Meanwhile, Hanover humbled Kiowa with a 68-12 victory. The Hornets might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by 47 points or more this season.
Junior Diaz was his usual excellent self, rushing for 181 yards and four touchdowns on only 12 carries. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 110.2 rushing yards per game. JJ Aguilar got in on the action as well, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Hanover didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Aguilar and David Byers.
Bethune's loss dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Hanover, their victory bumped their record up to 5-1.
Saturday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Bethune has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 247.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hanover struggles in that department as they've been averaging 206.3. It's looking like Saturday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Bethune was dealt a bruising 67-14 defeat at the hands of Hanover when the teams last played back in September of 2023. Can Bethune avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
