Socorro is 1-9 against Franklin since October of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Socorro Bulldogs will face off against the Franklin Cougars at 7:30 p.m. That game will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Eder Hernandez and Ernie Powers.
Socorro is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Eastlake on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Socorro was outmatched by Eastlake at home and fell 42-7. The matchup marked the Bulldogs' lowest-scoring match so far this season.
Socorro's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Hernandez, who rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown, and Trevante Thrasher, who threw for 87 yards on 12 of 21 attempts. Hernandez's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his sixth straight game with at least 100 rushing yards dating back to last season.
Socorro wouldn't let Eastlake keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Matthew Avila was the leader in that area as all came courtesy of his dominant performance. Roman Alvarado was another major factor on D, making 14 total tackles (1.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Franklin strolled past Eastwood with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 44-27.
It was another big night for Powers, who rushed for 316 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 11.3 yards per carry, and also picked up 71 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Those 316 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Lucas Garza was another key player, throwing for 88 yards and three touchdowns on only six passes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Franklin was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 469 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 184 rushing yards in 13 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Franklin didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Stone Jessup and Ramon Gonzalez.
This is the second loss in a row for Socorro and nudges their season record down to 2-4. As for Franklin, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-3.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Socorro has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 188.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Franklin struggles in that department as they've been averaging 322. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Socorro was dealt a bruising 52-24 defeat at the hands of Franklin in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Can Socorro avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
