Two dominant signal callers in Dylan Owens and Weston Nielsen are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Elgin Wildcats will head out on the road to take on the Bastrop Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Elgin's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They really took it to Crockett for the full four quarters, racking up an 84-0 win at home. The Wildcats' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Elgin found their leader in underclassman Owens, who rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries, and also threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes. Elgin is 2-1 when Owens posts two or more rushing touchdowns, but 1-3 otherwise. Gary Jefferson Jr was in the mix as well, providing Elgin with two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Elgin was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 247 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 170 rushing yards in four consecutive matches.
Elgin wouldn't let Crockett keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Elgin can thank Jose Quintanilla and Given Ukanda for forcing both of them.
Meanwhile, Bastrop waltzed into their game on Friday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They claimed a resounding 70-0 victory over the Vikings on the road. The result was nothing new for the Bears, who have now won four matchups by 35 points or more so far this season.
Bastrop's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Nielsen, who threw for 130 yards and three touchdowns on only nine passes, and also punched in a rushing score. Nielsen is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last three games he's played dating back to last season. Ladainian Merino was another key rusher, gaining 61 total yards and two touchdowns.
Elgin has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 3-4 record this season. As for Bastrop, their record is now 5-2.
The upcoming match will be a clash of competing strengths. Elgin has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 181 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Bastrop has preferred to attack from the air: they average 298.7 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Elgin ended up a good deal behind Bastrop in their previous matchup back in October of 2021, losing 38-23. Thankfully for Elgin, Seth Mouser (who threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 36 yards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
