The Basha Bears will square off against the Mesa Jackrabbits at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Basha's defense has only allowed 13.1 points per game this season, so Mesa's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Basha is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arizona's top teams: Hamilton, who was ranked first at the time (Basha was ranked second). The Bears received a blow on Friday as they fell 28-12 to the Huskies. The Bears were red-hot offensively heading into the matchup (they scored no less than 31 points in the five contests prior), but the Huskies' defense proved too tough.
Meanwhile, Mesa waltzed into their game on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came out on top against the Pumas by a score of 24-17.
Mesa's win came from a few key players Basha will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Boogie Anetema, who threw for 290 yards and two TDs. Rio Arnett helped Anetema out on the ground, rushing for 171 yards.
Mesa was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 216 rushing yards. They are a perfect 3-0 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
Mesa didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Kainalu Skipps and Markel Mayers. Skipps also made 11 total tackles, which is notable because Mesa is undefeated when he posts at least three total tackles, but 2-3 otherwise.
Mesa's win bumped their record up to 5-3. As for Basha, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 7-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Basha has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 161.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mesa struggles in that department as they've been averaging 183.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Basha against Mesa in their previous meeting back in September of 2024, as the squad secured a 47-3 victory. Will the Bears repeat their success, or do the Jackrabbits have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
