The East Bernard Brahmas will be playing in front of their home fans against the Clifton Cubs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
East Bernard came tearing into Friday's game with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 38.5 points) and they left with even more momentum. They claimed a resounding 37-7 victory over Rice Consolidated at home. Given East Bernard's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 263rd, while Rice Consolidated is ranked 741st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
East Bernard's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Clayton Fajkus, who threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 14.5 yards per attempt. The team also got some help courtesy of Maddox Crist, who picked up 159 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Special teams played a big role in the game for East Bernard, adding 13 points to the final score. All those points came courtesy of Randon Polak: he added nine points with three field goals, and another four kicking extra points.
Meanwhile, Clifton never let their opponents score on Friday. They took their matchup at home with ease, bagging a 42-0 win over Florence. The win made it back-to-back wins for Clifton.
Clifton's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Joaquin De la Hoya led the charge by rushing for 14 yards and two touchdowns, while also throwing for 55 yards and a touchdown on only four passes. Parker Tunnell was another key contributor, rushing for 84 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries.
East Bernard's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-3. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 39.0 points per game. As for Clifton, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a massive bump to their 5-5 record this season.
