After each having a week off, the Brookfield Bobcats and the Bunnell Bulldogs will dust off their jerseys to square off against one another at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are still undefeated (Brookfield has six wins dating back to last season, while Bunnell has four).
If Brookfield beats Bunnell with 42 points on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. Brookfield blew past Stratford 42-7 at home last Friday. Fans of the Bobcats have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
It was another big night for Michael Walters, who rushed for 198 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries. Those 198 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Derrick Scott, who picked up 96 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Brookfield didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Donovan Loranger. Chase Sylvia was another major factor on D, making 14 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Brookfield was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 342 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 171 rushing yards in ten consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Bunnell faced Masuk in a battle between two of the state's top teams last Friday. Bunnell's defense stepped up to hand Masuk a 21-0 shutout. Considering the Bulldogs have won three contests by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Bunnell had a senior duo take command as Alberto Torres rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries and Steven Mendoza rushed for 41 yards and two touchdowns.
Bunnell's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB 6.5 times. The heavy lifting was done by Daniel Yirenkyi and Rickie Miller, who racked up four sacks between them. Miller is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made seven or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season.
Brookfield's victory bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Bunnell, their win bumped their record up to an identical 4-0.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Brookfield has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 288.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Bunnell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 245.2. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Brookfield couldn't quite finish off Bunnell in their previous matchup back in October of 2023 and fell 23-21. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Mendoza, who rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries, and also threw for 183 yards and a touchdown on only 14 passes. Now that Brookfield knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
