The Montabella Mustangs will face off against the Merrill Vandals at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Montabella's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Fulton, posting a 40-0 win. The victory was just business as usual for the Mustangs, who after seven games remain undefeated this season.
Austin Jensen produced another solid effort rushing for 182 yards and four TDs on only eight carries, while also picking up 37 receiving yards. He really tore up the turf during one magnificent 80-yard run. Another player making a difference was Gabriel Kauffman, who rushed for 142 yards and one touchdown on only seven carries.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Montabella was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 421 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 281 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Montabella didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Noah Carlson and Ethan Greene.
Meanwhile, Merrill humbled Carson City-Crystal with a 48-7 victory. Given the Vandals' advantage in MaxPreps' Michigan football rankings (they are ranked 12th, while the Eagles are ranked 62nd) , the win on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Montabella's win bumped their record up to 7-0. As for Merrill, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.
Montabella was able to grind out a solid win over Merrill when the teams last played back in September of 2024, winning 20-12. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Vandals have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
