Merced proved they can win big last Friday (they won by 32) and on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged out the Downey Knights 41-39. The game was the first time the Bears have beaten the Knights on their field since August 31, 2018.
Vicente Cortez
| 09/05/25 @ Downey | 109 |
| 08/29/25 vs Gregori | 60 |
| 09/27/24 vs Enochs | 46 |
| 10/18/24 vs El Capitan | 37 |
| 10/04/24 @ Golden Valley | 26 |
Vicente Cortez was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 109 yards and three scores, and also threw for 140 yards and one TD. Those 109 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. A healthy portion of Cortez's aerial production (99 yards to be exact) went to Hayden Czirban, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Merced didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Isayah Smith and Tyson Espinoza.
Despite the loss, Downey still got an impressive performance from Elias Haynes, who rushed for 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also picked up 69 receiving yards.
The win (which was Merced's third in a row) raised their record to 3-0. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 38.7 points this season. As for Downey, they now have a losing record of 1-2.
Merced will get to enjoy the win for a while: their next game is against Madera at 7:00 p.m. on the 19th. As for Downey, they will challenge Amador Valley at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
