Wall is on a ten-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Merkel is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Hawks will square off against the Badgers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
If Wall beats Merkel with 35 points on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. The Hawks strolled past Idalou with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 35-21. Given the Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 66th, while the Wildcats are ranked 321st) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Wall's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Landon York led the charge by throwing for 307 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 10.6 yards per attempt. Reid Robertson was York's top target, picking up 123 receiving yards and one score.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Wall's defense and their seven sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Ben Taylor and Dylan Sellers, who racked up four sacks between them. Another thorn in Idalou's side was Slayton Hallmark, who picked up a sack and made nine total tackles.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Merkel against Brownfield on Friday as the team secured a 47-14 victory. The result was nothing new for the Badgers, who have now won three games by 33 points or more so far this season.
Wall better keep an eye on Easton Malone. He was instrumental in Merkel's win, rushing for 144 yards and a pair of TDs on only ten carries, while also throwing for 158 yards and three touchdowns. What's more, Malone posted two rushing touchdowns, the most he's had since back in October of 2024. Kaden Blubaugh made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Merkel was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 293 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 96 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last five matchups they've averaged 226.3.
Merkel didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Blubaugh and Eli Delgado. Blubaugh got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Merkel's win bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Wall, their victory bumped their record up to 6-0.
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: York and Malone. York just won't slow down this season and has thrown 19 touchdowns (and and only 3 pick) while averaging 250 passing yards per game. Malone has been a dominant force too and has thrown 20 touchdowns (and and only 3 picks) while averaging 207.8 passing yards per game.
Everything came up roses for Wall against Merkel when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 48-7 win. In that game, the Hawks amassed a halftime lead of 28-7, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
