The Van Vleck Leopards were the 15-14 winner over the East Bernard Brahmas when they last played one another back in October of 2022, but their luck changed this time around. Van Vleck had to suffer through a rough 45-14 loss at the hands of East Bernard. While losing is never fun, Van Vleck can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 658th, while East Bernard is ranked 258th).
Corey Austin and Gaven Ros certainly did their best on Friday to try and avoid the loss. Austin rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries, while Ros rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries. Austin really tore up the turf during one magnificent 85-yard run.
East Bernard's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Odrick Thomas, who rushed for 53 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Clayton Fajkus, who rushed for 17 yards and a touchdown.
Van Vleck now has a losing record at 4-5. As for East Bernard, the victory (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 6-3.
Van Vleck will head out on the road to face off against Tidehaven at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Tidehaven will be looking to keep their four-game home win streak alive. East Bernard will take on Rice Consolidated at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
