Bells has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Jacksboro Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Bells had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They walked away with a 22-11 victory over Mildred on Thursday. Given Bells' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 256th, while Mildred is ranked 623rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Easton Helgren, who rushed for 174 yards and a touchdown while picking up 10.9 yards per carry. Helgren was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 56 yards.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Bells' defense and their five sacks. Caden King was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two sacks himself.
Meanwhile, Jacksboro put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They came out on top against Callisburg by a score of 51-40. This was one game where the offenses had no trouble playing at a high level.
Luke Sams was his usual excellent self, rushing for 295 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.3 yards per carry, and also picking up 96 receiving yards and a touchdown. Another player making a difference was Luis Balderama, who gained 101 total yards and a touchdown.
Bells' win was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-1. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 0-10 Pilot Point and 0-10 Lone Oak (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 36.3% over those games). As for Jacksboro, their win bumped their record up to 11-0.
Keep an eye on the end zone in Friday's game as the pair haven't had much trouble getting there this season. Bells commands a daunting offense this season, having averaged 6.1 touchdowns per game. However, it's not like Jacksboro struggles in that department as they've been even better at 6.6 per game. With these two high-octane teams facing off on Friday, fans should be in for an exciting offensive matchup. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
