Madera came tearing into Friday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 36 points) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 48-35 victory over the Merced Bears. This was payback for the Coyotes, who suffered a 41-13 loss the last time these two teams met.
Madera's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Blake Burton led the charge by rushing for 211 yards and two touchdowns. Burton showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 59 yards. Joel Arellano was another key passer, throwing for 200 yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Madera was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 246 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 165 rushing yards in five consecutive matchups.
Madera's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Merced, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 1-3.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Madera will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Edison at 7:30 p.m. on October 4th. Madera is facing Edison at the right time seeing as Edison is stuck on a five-game losing streak. As for Merced, they will host Enochs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Merced's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last three contests.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
