After flying high against Buhach Colony last Thursday, Merced came back down to earth. The Merced Bears took a 31-27 hit to the loss column at the hands of the El Capitan Gauchos. The Bears gained 52 more yards on the day, but it was the Gauchos that made the best use of them.
Merced's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Antonia Lejarde, who threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns while completing 81.8% of her passes, and also rushed for 40 yards. Lejarde is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as she's now passed for three or more in the last seven games she's played. Ryann Perez was another key rusher, gaining 76 total yards and two touchdowns.
A big part of El Capitan's victory came down to the chemistry between Ariel Ochoa and her top target Avnoor Bains. Ochoa threw for 354 yards and five touchdowns while completing 83.7% of her passes while Bains picked up 185 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Bains was no stranger to the big play, cutting upfield on a catch that went for 68 yards.
Merced's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 14-7. As for El Capitan, their win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 20-7.
As of now, neither Merced nor El Capitan have any future games scheduled.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
