The Salado Eagles will square off against the Rockport-Fulton Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Salado is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They claimed a resounding 49-6 victory over Pearsall. The win was familiar territory for the Eagles, who have now won three matchups in a row.
Gabe Merriman
| 11/14/25 vs Pearsall | 2 |
| 11/07/25 @ Smithville | 1 |
| 10/03/25 @ Navarro | 1 |
| 09/12/25 vs Giddings | 3 |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Salado to victory, but perhaps none more so than Gabe Merriman, who picked up 83 receiving yards and two touchdowns. That's the most receiving touchdowns Merriman has posted since back in September. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Bingham, who rushed for 73 yards and one score on only eight carries.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Salado's defense and their four sacks. In that department, Ethan Robledo was the leader with two. He has been hot recently, having also posted five or more total tackles the last three times he's played. Luke Bauser was another major factor on D, picking up a sack, forcing one fumble, and making five total tackles.
Rockport-Fulton never got on the board in their matchup two weeks ago, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against King on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Brahmas 50-16. The victory continues a trend for the Pirates in their matchups with the Brahmas: they've now won four in a row.
Salado better keep an eye on Traey Alvarado. He was instrumental in Rockport-Fulton's win, rushing for 120 yards and three TDs on only 11 carries. Another player making a difference was Zane Rios, who rushed for 52 yards and one touchdown.
Rockport-Fulton didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited King to a completion percentage of just 50%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from six players: Caleb Wilshire, Kam Alston, Rios, Brady Cunningham, Jaiden Manero, and Tanner Chenault, who each logged one passes deflected. Rockport-Fulton wasn't nearly as limited: they posted one of 30.8%.
Rockport-Fulton didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off five passes before the game was over. Jake Self led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself. Alston got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Salado's record now sits at 8-3. As for Rockport-Fulton, their record is now 7-4.
