The Gladewater Bears will venture away from home to challenge the Liberty-Eylau Leopards at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Gladewater's defense has only allowed 11.8 points per game this season, so Liberty-Eylau's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Liberty-Eylau will be up against a hot Gladewater squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. The Bears claimed a resounding 47-0 win over Sabine. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Bears' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 251st, while the Cardinals are ranked 1031st).
Carsin Cooper
| 10/03/25 vs Sabine | 2 |
| 09/05/25 vs New Diana | 1 |
| 08/28/25 @ Daingerfield | 1 |
| 10/17/24 @ Tatum | 2 |
Gladewater relied on the efforts of Achilles Hess, who rushed for 68 yards and one score, and Carsin Cooper, who rushed for 69 yards and a pair of TDs. What's more, Cooper posted two rushing touchdowns, the most he's had since back in October of 2024.
Gladewater's run defense was locked in: Sabine could only muster 2.1 yards per carry. The team can thank Mason Budro for the heroic effort on defense: he. Gladewater didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 8.2.
Gladewater's defense didn't let the opposing QB, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. Sabine's QB won't forget Marquis Rutherford anytime soon given he sacked him three times. Budro was another major factor on D, making 15 total tackles and defending one pass.
Meanwhile, Liberty-Eylau strolled past Tatum with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 28-13. The Leopards haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Gladewater better keep an eye on Arian Taylor. He was instrumental in Liberty-Eylau's win, rushing for 187 yards and four touchdowns. With that strong performance, Taylor is now averaging an impressive 104.2 rushing yards per game.
Gladewater's record is now 5-1. As for Liberty-Eylau, their record now sits at 2-3.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Gladewater has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 274.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Liberty-Eylau struggles in that department as they've been averaging 178.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Gladewater ended up a good deal behind Liberty-Eylau in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, losing 49-34. Thankfully for the Bears, Trip Baysinger (who threw for 201 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 80% of his passes, and also picked up 60 receiving yards and one score) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
