El Capitan is 0-8 against Merced since September of 2014 but things could change on Friday. The El Capitan Gauchos will head out to face off against the Merced Bears at 7:00 p.m. El Capitan is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 32.3 points per game this season.
Last Friday, El Capitan lost to Atwater at home by a 42-24 margin.
Meanwhile, Merced waltzed into their matchup on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Tigers 45-7 at home. The match was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 38-0.
It was another big night for Quintell Dupree, who threw for 191 yards and three touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Jeremy Garcia also helped out with an impressive 86 receiving yards.
El Capitan's loss dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Merced, they now also have a winning record of 4-3.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. El Capitan has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 228 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Merced struggles in that department as they've been averaging 196.6. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
El Capitan was taken down by Merced 56-7 in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. Thankfully for El Capitan, Chase Smith (who rushed for 198 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
