Two dominant backs in Michael Murphy and Gage Jones are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Branham Bruins will be playing at home against the Live Oak Acorns at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Thursday, Branham earned a 26-14 win over Christopher.
Brayden Hodges
| 10/16/25 @ Christopher | 2 |
| 09/26/25 @ Piedmont Hills | 1 |
| 09/05/25 @ Willow Glen | 1 |
| 08/29/25 @ Hollister | 0 |
| 11/15/24 @ North Monterey County | 1 |
| + 3 more games |
Branham's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Brayden Hodges, who picked up 69 receiving yards and two TDs. That's the most receiving touchdowns Hodges has posted since back in October of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Andrew Ho, who threw for 119 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 73.7% of his passes.
Branham was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 205 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Christopher only rushed for 109.
Another reason for the win was Branham's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for 3.5 sacks. Damien Martinez refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself.
Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Live Oak beat Lincoln 17-13 on Friday. The 17-point effort marked the Acorns' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Live Oak had a senior duo take command as Tanner Holeman picked up 125 receiving yards and one score and Adrian Leal threw for 142 yards and one TD on only ten passes.
Branham has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to yards per carry: they averaged an imposing 7.83 yards per carry in those games compared to only 3.57 in the others. As for Live Oak, their win bumped their record up to 6-1.
Thursday's game might be decided on the ground. Branham has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 200 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Live Oak struggles in that department as they've been averaging 317.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Branham strolled past Live Oak when the teams last played back in October of 2024 by a score of 35-21. Will the Bruins repeat their success, or do the Acorns have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
