Ballinger unfortunately couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. They fell 38-26 to the Merkel Badgers on Friday. The Bearcats were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Badgers apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in August of 2024.
A big part of Merkel's win came down to the chemistry between Easton Malone and his top target Kaden Blubaugh. Malone threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 13.3 yards per attempt while Blubaugh picked up 190 receiving yards and four TDs. Blubaugh really caught the secondary sleeping when he pulled down a catch that went for 78 yards.
Coming up, Ballinger will venture away from home to face off against Christoval at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Merkel, they will take on Bangs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
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