After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Early, Bangs was happy to have turned things around on Friday. They secured a 20-14 W over the Merkel Badgers. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Dragons as it put an end to their four-game losing streak dating back to last season.
Aden Jones went supernova for Bangs, rushing for 103 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries.
Jones wasn't the only one working in the rushing yards department: Bangs was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 207 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Merkel only rushed for 59.
Bangs wouldn't let Merkel keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Kristopher Kelly, Hunter Crowell, and John Paul Rangel picked up one apiece.
Merkel lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Bronson Lloyd, who threw for 148 yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance gave him a new career- in total yards. A healthy portion of that aerial production (120 yards to be exact) went to Cj Walcott.
The victory got Bangs back to even at 1-1. As for Merkel, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 0-2.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Bangs will venture away from home to challenge Grape Creek at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Bangs is no doubt hoping to put an end to a five-game streak of away losses dating back to last season. As for Merkel, they are taking a road trip to square off against Hawley at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
