The Merkel Badgers lost against the Jacksboro Tigers back in October of 2022, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. Merkel was outmatched by Jacksboro on the road and fell 78-13. Merkel has struggled against Jacksboro recently, as their matchup on Friday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Leading Jacksboro to victory were Luke Sams and Lando Belcher. Sams rushed for 129 yards and four touchdowns on only 13 carries, while Belcher threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns while completing 85.7% of his passes. Sams is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last eight games he's played. Cannon Valenzuela also helped out with an impressive 152 receiving yards.
Merkel's defeat dropped their record down to 5-3. As for Jacksboro, the victory for they keeps them at an undefeated 8-0.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Merkel will take on Comanche at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Comanche is out to stop a three-game streak of losses at home. As for Jacksboro, they will head out on the road to face off against Millsap at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Millsap will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Texas Rankings (they are ranked 514th, while Jacksboro is ranked 241st).
