Clifton is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Friday. After each having a week off, they and the Eastland Mavericks will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. Eastland took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Clifton, who comes in off a win.
Clifton took a loss when they played away from home back in September, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed last Friday. They claimed a resounding 35-6 victory over Blooming Grove. That looming 35-6 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Cubs yet this season.
Jackson Ritz continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries, while also throwing for 60 yards and one TD. His longest rush was for an incredible 76 yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Clifton was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 291 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2024.
Clifton didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Zachary Sedberry and Corter Sweat.
Meanwhile, Eastland was not able to break out of their rough patch last Friday as the team picked up their sixth straight defeat dating back to last season. They lost 32-7 to Hawley. While losing is never fun, the Mavericks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 906th, while the Bearcats are ranked 422nd).
Clifton pushed their record up to 4-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 36.8 points over those games. As for Eastland, their loss dropped their record down to 0-5.
Clifton won a contest that couldn't have been any closer in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, slipping by Eastland 14-13. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cubs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
