Golden Valley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They took a blow against the Merced Bears, falling 39-12. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 370th, while the Bears are ranked 153rd).
Merced found their leader in underclassman Antonia Lejarde, who threw for 264 yards and five touchdowns. Lejarde has been hot recently, having posted three or more passing touchdowns the last four times she's played. Ryann Perez helped Lejarde out on the ground, picking up 59 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 32 yards.
Golden Valley's loss dropped their record down to 8-11. As for Merced, they pushed their record up to 13-5 with the win, which was their third straight at home.
Golden Valley has already played their next matchup, a 24-19 defeat against Los Banos on the 15th. As for Merced, they also wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next game, a 27-18 loss against Atwater on the 15th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
