The Mena Bearcats will face off against the Ozark Hillbillies at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mena's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. Everything went their way against Lamar as they made off with a 21-0 win.
The critical scores for Mena came from Tycen Baber, Hunter McClara, and Chance Hughes.
Mena didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Beck Vacca and Hughes. Hughes got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Ozark over Dover in every quarter on their way to victory on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Hillbillies blew the Pirates out of the water with a 71-7 final score. The victory continues a trend for the Hillbillies in their matchups with the Pirates: they've now won eight in a row.
Mena better focus on containing Cade Capp and Lawson Wright as the pair were huge in Ozark's win. Capp threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns on perfect 8-for-8 passing, while Wright rushed for 81 yards and a pair of TDs. Those two passing touchdowns gave Capp a new career-high.
Ozark was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 273 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 226 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Ozark's defense and their three sacks. Leading the way was Maverick Krebs with two. Ozark received some extra help from Kanyon Connelly, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Mena's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Ozark, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 4-1.
Mena strolled past Ozark in their previous matchup back in October of 2024 by a score of 35-18. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Hillbillies' Koby Wilbanks, who rushed for 147 yards and one score while picking up 8.6 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Bearcats to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
