After each having a week off, the Midland Bulldogs and the Santaluces Chiefs will shake off the cobwebs and challenge one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Midland is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their match at home last Friday with ease, bagging a 69-13 win over Montwood. The victory was familiar territory for the Bulldogs who have now won three matchups in a row.
It was another big night for Stroman Bridges, who rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns on only six carries. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in October of 2023. Another player making a difference was Jordan Mcgowan, who rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Midland's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. Blade Brandon picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season. Midland got some further help from Julian Williams: he picked up a sack and made 11 total tackles.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Midland was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 536 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 173 rushing yards in six consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Santaluces hadn't done well against Seminole Ridge recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way last Friday. Santaluces simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Seminole Ridge 49-21 on the road. That looming 49-21 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Chiefs yet this season.
Santaluces can attribute much of their success to Chris Siska, who threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 passes. Jorris Shephard was another key passer, throwing for 142 yards and two touchdowns on only seven passes.
Midland's win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Santaluces, their victory bumped their record up to 4-1.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
