There was early excitement for The Bullard Panthers after they claimed the first score on Friday, but it was the Rusk Eagles who ended up claiming the real prize. Bullard wound up with the same score they had in their last game (28-21), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for them in their matchups with Rusk: they've now lost three in a row.
Several Panthers players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Clifford Douglas, who picked up 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Douglas hasn't dropped below 100 receiving yards for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Ayden Barrett, who threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns.
Rusk was led to victory by Brady Barrier and Bricion Griffin. Barrier rushed for 21 yards and two touchdowns, while Griffin rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries.
Bullard has not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-4 record this season. As for Rusk, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Bullard will look to defend their home field on Friday against Center at 7:30 p.m. Center presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Bullard in Texas (Center is ranked 157th, while Bullard is ranked 341st). As for Rusk, they will head out on the road to face off against Brownsboro at 6:50 p.m. on Saturday.
