After each having a week off, the Merced Bears and the Vanden Vikings will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Merced's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last nine matchups.
If Merced beats Vanden with 49 points on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. The Bears breezed past Buhach Colony to the tune of 49-6 last Friday. The win continues a trend for the Bears in their matchups with the Thunder: they've now won six in a row.
Vicente Cortez produced another solid effort throwing for 226 yards and two touchdowns while completing 76.9% of his passes, and also rushing for 57 yards and one score. He was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 53 yards. Another player making a difference was Dougie Andrews, who rushed for 76 yards and one TD on only seven carries.
Meanwhile, Vanden was able to grind out a solid victory over Pioneer last Friday, taking the game 40-27.
A big part of Vanden's win came down to the chemistry between Xavier Zambrano and his top target Kimani Dokes. Zambrano threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.2 yards per attempt while Dokes picked up 110 receiving yards and one score. Dokes didn't just play on offense: he also made five total tackles and defended one pass in addition to snagging an interception.
Vanden didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: Elisaia Caden and Dokes, who each picked up one interception apiece. Another thorn in Pioneer's side was Caden, who made six total tackles and defended one pass in addition to snagging an interception which he returned for a touchdown.
Merced's record is now 10-0. As for Vanden, their record now sits at 8-2.
Merced was taken down by Vanden 49-21 when the teams last played back in November of 2021. Will the Bears have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
