The Ponder Lions will take on the Bowie Jackrabbits at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Ponder knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past six matches -- so hopefully Bowie likes a good challenge.
Ponder is likely headed into the contest with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Vernon on Friday. Ponder fell just short of Vernon by a score of 38-35. Ponder was up 21-7 in the second but couldn't hold on to the lead.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Johnny Arellano, who rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns. Ponder is undefeated when Arellano posts 100 or more rushing yards, but 1-2 otherwise. Tyson Price was another key passer, throwing for 338 yards and two touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes.
Meanwhile, Bowie entered their matchup against Paradise on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Bowie had to suffer through a 40-7 loss at the hands of Paradise. The game marked the Jackrabbits' lowest-scoring match so far this season.
The defeat snapped Ponder's winning streak at three games and leaves them with a 4-2 record. As for Bowie, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-3.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Ponder has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 293.8 passing yards per game. Bowie, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 164.5 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Everything came up roses for Ponder against Bowie in their previous matchup back in October of 2021, as the team secured a 61-12 victory. In that matchup, Ponder amassed a halftime lead of 32-6, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
