The Pflugerville Panthers will head out to face off against the Bastrop Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
It was a proper cat-fight when Pflugerville challenged Crockett on Friday. The Panthers took their contest with ease, bagging a 62-7 win over the Cougars. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Panthers' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 382nd, while the Cougars are ranked 1055th).
Cole Taylor
| 10/24/25 vs Crockett | 344 |
| 10/17/25 @ Liberty Hill | 230 |
| 10/10/25 @ McCallum | 406 |
| 09/25/25 vs Elgin | 286 |
| 09/19/25 @ Navarro | 295 |
| + 3 more games |
Cole Taylor was his usual excellent self, throwing for 344 yards and six TDs while picking up 15.0 yards per attempt, and also rushing for 56 yards and one touchdown on only seven carries. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 303.1 passing yards per game.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Pflugerville proved: they limited Crockett to a paltry 3.4 yards per carry. The team can thank Caleb Smith for the heroic effort on defense: he. Pflugerville didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 12.6.
Pflugerville didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Kurmar Shepard, Melvin McPherson, and Ryder Deal picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, Bastrop put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They claimed a resounding 62-6 victory over Elgin. The game was the first time the Bears have beaten the Wildcats on their field since September 4, 2015.
Pflugerville better focus on containing Gary Jefferson Jr. and Weston Nielsen as the pair were huge in Bastrop's win. Jefferson Jr. rushed for 151 yards and four scores on only 11 carries, while Nielsen threw for 248 yards and three TDs. Those four rushing touchdowns gave Jefferson Jr. a new career-high. Brent Carter was in the mix as well, providing Bastrop with two touchdowns.
Pflugerville's record is now 6-2. As for Bastrop, their record now sits at 8-0.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Pflugerville has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 308.5 passing yards per game. Bastrop, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 191.6 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Pflugerville came up short against Bastrop in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, falling 38-28. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
