Football Game Preview: De Leon Bearcats vs. Hamilton Bulldogs

De Leon and Hamilton are an even 3-3 against one another since October of 2015, but not for long. The Bearcats will challenge the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Hamilton will be up against a hot De Leon team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. The Bearcats claimed a resounding 60-20 win over Bangs. The Bearcats pushed the score to 48-14 by the end of the third, a deficit the Dragons had no chance of recovering from.

Heston Jobe had another great game (as he tends to do), throwing for 231 yards and four TDs while completing 75% of his passes, and also rushing for 109 yards and one score on only six carries. His passing game has become a key predictor of De Leon's success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 1-2 otherwise. Colt Schwertner was in the mix as well, providing the Bearcats with two touchdowns.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: De Leon was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 245 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 174 rushing yards in four consecutive games.

De Leon didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Max Jones and Schwertner. Jones got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Hamilton made easy work of Hico on Friday and carried off a 35-14 victory. The win continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won six in a row.

De Leon's record now sits at 7-2. As for Hamilton, their record is now an identical 7-2.

De Leon came up short against Hamilton when the teams last played back in November of 2024, falling 35-28. Can the Bearcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.