The Somerset Bulldogs will face off against the Canyon Lake Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Somerset sitting on three straight victories and Canyon Lake on five.
On Friday, Somerset got the win against Uvalde by a conclusive 43-22. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by 21 points or more this season.
Somerset's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Malakai Iverson, who picked up 126 receiving yards and three TDs. Iverson showed off some serious burst, cutting upfield on a catch for 54 yards. Kaleb Flores was another key signal caller, throwing for 198 yards and three touchdowns while completing 76.5% of his passes.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Somerset proved: they limited Uvalde to a paltry 2.4 yards per carry. The Bulldogs didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 5.6.
Meanwhile, Canyon Lake strolled past Fredericksburg with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 42-28. The Hawks pushed the score to 42-21 by the end of the third, a deficit the Billies cut but never quite recovered from.
Canyon Lake's win came from a few key players Somerset will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jace Wheeler, who threw for 225 yards and three TDs while picking up 10.7 yards per attempt. He is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in each of the last three games he's played. Canyon Lake's leading receiver Peyton King was Wheeler's top target yet again, picking up 94 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
One reason for the win was Canyon Lake's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. In that department, Joseph Matos Padilla was the leader with two. Canyon Lake got some further help from Jr Lindell: he made nine total tackles (1.0 for loss) and defended two passes.
Somerset's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Canyon Lake, their victory bumped their record up to 5-1.
Somerset suffered a grim 42-20 defeat to Canyon Lake when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Bulldogs, James Garza (who rushed for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 7.4 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
