The Merkel Badgers will face off against the Coahoma Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Merkel is no doubt hoping to put an end to a six-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Merkel is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 31 points two weeks ago, they were much more limited against Grape Creek on Friday. They fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 14-12. While the Badgers had to settle for second, they closed the game well in the third quarter, where they outscored the Eagles 6-0.
Despite the defeat, Merkel had strong showings from Kaden Blubaugh, who picked up 86 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Cj Walcott, who picked up 60 receiving yards and a touchdown. Walcott was even better on defense, forcing a fumble and making 13 total tackles.
Merkel wouldn't let Grape Creek keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Merkel can thank Brighton Stewart and Walcott for forcing both of them. Stewart also set a new season high mark in total tackles with ten.
Meanwhile, after only six points in their last matchup, Coahoma made sure to put some points up on the board against Stanton on Friday. Coahoma strolled past Stanton with points to spare, taking the game 57-40. The Bulldogs pushed the score to 43-20 by the end of the third, a deficit the Buffaloes cut but never quite recovered from.
It was another big night for Jaidyn Vineyard, who rushed for 347 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 10.8 yards per carry. He was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 57 yards. Another player making a difference was Boyd Cox, who threw for 294 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 11.3 yards per attempt.
Merkel's loss dropped their record down to 0-9. As for Coahoma, their win bumped their record up to 5-3.
Merkel beat Coahoma 34-27 in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Vineyard, who rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 9.3 yards per carry. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Merkel still be able to contain Vineyard? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
