Two dominant signal callers in Bohden Smith and Tyler Franklin are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Justin Garza Guardians will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Bullard Knights at 7:30 p.m. Justin Garza has given up an average of 25.7 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Justin Garza fought the good fight in their overtime game against Sanger on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 35-28 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Apaches. The Guardians haven't had much luck with the Apaches recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Nate Rodriguez, who picked up 175 receiving yards and one score. He really caught the secondary sleeping when he pulled down a catch that went for 80 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Leonx Payton, who threw for 314 yards and a pair of TDs.
Meanwhile, after only seven points in their last contest, Bullard made sure to put some points up on the board against Madera on Friday. The Knights walked away with a 42-33 win over the Coyotes. Considering the Knights' offense had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Justin Garza better focus on containing Gavin Kavookjian-Osburn and Tyrin Pree as the pair were huge in Bullard's win. Kavookjian-Osburn rushed for 131 yards, while Pree picked up 81 receiving yards and one touchdown. Pree also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making five total tackles and defending one pass.
Bullard's run defense was locked in: Madera could only muster three yards per carry. The team can thank Jayden King for the heroic effort on defense: he. The dominant display was nothing new: Bullard has now limited their opponent to fewer and fewer yards per carry in three consecutive matchups.
Bullard's defensive line didn't let Elias Mena, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. In that department, King was the leader with two. Bullard got some further help from Ryder Robesky: he forced one fumble, made 12 total tackles, and defended one pass.
Bullard moved to 3-4 with that victory, which also ended their three-game losing streak. As for Justin Garza, their loss dropped their record down to 5-2.
Justin Garza took a serious blow against Bullard when the teams last played back in October of 2024, falling 44-13. Will the Guardians have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
