Bastrop came tearing into Friday's game with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 36.5 points) and they left with even more momentum. They secured a 35-31 W over the Liberty Hill Panthers. For the Bears, this counts as revenge for the 81-31 victory the Panthers walked away with the last time they faced one another back in October of 2023.
Bastrop's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ladainian Merino led the charge by rushing for 141 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries. Those 141 rushing yards gave Merino a new career-high. Another passer making a difference was Weston Nielsen, who threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns.
Bastrop wouldn't let Liberty Hill keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. Tiki Hola led the group effort, picking up two of those forced fumbles all by himself. He has been hot recently, having also posted five or more total tackles the last four times he's played.
Bastrop's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 47.0 points per game. As for Liberty Hill, the loss snapped their winning streak at eight games and leaves them with a 8-2 record.
Bastrop didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next match, a 66-14 victory against Lanier on the 15th. As for Liberty Hill, they also wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next contest, a 69-26 win against Sam Houston on the 15th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
