Two dominant backs in Isaiah Ford and Demarcus Belton are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Castleberry Lions will face off against the Alvarado Indians at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Castleberry will bounce into Friday's contest after beating Lake Worth, who they had gone 1-7 against in their eight prior meetings. The Lions took their matchup on Thursday with ease, bagging a 50-13 win over the Bullfrogs. The Lions pushed the score to 35-13 by the end of the third, a deficit the Bullfrogs had little chance of recovering from.
Castleberry got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Bryan Ceniceros out in front who picked up 90 receiving yards and two TDs.
Castleberry didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Lake Worth to a completion percentage of just 50%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from five players: Ceniceros, Jeremiah Sanchez, Sebastian Huerta, Anthony Duron, and Juan Carrillo, who each logged one passes deflected. Castleberry wasn't nearly as limited: they posted one of 62.5%.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Alvarado over Life Waxahachie in every quarter on their way to victory on Thursday. The Indians' defense stepped up to hand the Mustangs a 72-0 shutout. The win was just business as usual for the Indians, who after seven games remain undefeated this season.
Castleberry better keep an eye on KJ Jenkins. He was instrumental in Alvarado's win, throwing for 242 yards and three touchdowns while completing 72.2% of his passes. Jenkins has been hot recently, having posted three or more passing touchdowns the last three times he's played. Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Paul Rios, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Alvarado didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Dj Clampitt and Belton. Clampitt got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Alvarado, adding 22 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Rios, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown. Another bright spot was a punt return touchdown from Clampitt.
Castleberry's record now sits at 5-3. As for Alvarado, their record is now 7-0.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Castleberry has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 254.5 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Alvarado has preferred to attack from the air: they average 290.3 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Castleberry was taken down by Alvarado 62-7 in their previous meeting back in November of 2024. Can the Lions avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
