The Bakersfield Drillers will face off against the Independence Falcons at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Bakersfield is looking to tack on another W to their six-game streak on the road dating back to last season.
Bakersfield's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They breezed by Ridgeview to the tune of 35-0. The Drillers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by 27 points or more this season.
Brison Abbott was his usual excellent self, rushing for 110 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 101 rushing yards. Bakersfield also got help from Isaiah Richard, who showed off his sure hands for 84 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, a win for Independence just wasn't in the cards on Thursday as the team wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They came up short against Bakersfield Christian, falling 38-14. While losing is never fun, the Falcons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 351st, while the Eagles are ranked 91st).
Bakersfield's victory bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Independence, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-5 record this season.
Bakersfield took their win against Independence when the teams last played back in October of 2023 by a conclusive 41-17. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Independence's Richard Gooden, who rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Bakersfield to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps