For the first time this season, Merino will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They are taking a road trip to square off against the Haxtun Fightin' Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Merino's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Rocky Ford, posting a 51-0 win. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Rams just coasted through the last quarter.
Meanwhile, Haxtun put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They breezed past Front Range Christian to the tune of 64-0. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Fightin' Bulldogs' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado football rankings (they are ranked third, while the Falcons are ranked 52nd).
Merino better focus on containing Colin Cone and Zach Statz as the pair were huge in Haxtun's win. Cone rushed for 76 yards and four scores on only six carries, while Statz rushed for 121 yards and one touchdown on only eight carries. Those four rushing touchdowns gave Cone a new career-high.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Haxtun proved: they limited Front Range Christian to a paltry 3.2 yards per carry. The team can thank Carter Lock for the heroic effort on defense: he. That's the most yards per carry they've managed all season.
Haxtun's victory bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Merino, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Merino was taken down by Haxtun 70-6 when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Rams, Grant Statz (who rushed for 128 yards and four TDs on only eight carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
