The Reagan Rattlers will challenge the Brennan Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Reagan sitting on four straight wins and Brennan on six.
While Reagan's victory against Brandeis wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Rattlers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 20-17 win over the Broncos on Thursday.
Edwin Bridges was his usual excellent self, rushing for 191 yards and one score while picking up 7.6 yards per carry. He was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 55 yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Reagan was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 279 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 200 rushing yards in seven consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Brennan blew past Warren, posting a 49-7 victory. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 28-0.
Brennan's win came from a few key players Reagan will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Cayden Glass, who threw for 302 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 12.1 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 58 yards. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in September. Donivin Lard also helped out as he racked up 101 receiving yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Brennan's defense and their three sacks. Isiah Tolefree refused to say out of the backfield, picking up two sacks all by himself. Another thorn in Warren's side was Johnas Brewster, who made 17 total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Reagan's record now sits at 6-4. As for Brennan, their record is now 9-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Reagan has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 258.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Brennan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 152.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Reagan came up short against Brennan in their previous meeting back in August, falling 21-13. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Glass, who threw for 129 yards and a pair of TDs on only 12 passes, and also rushed for 48 yards and one score. Now that the Rattlers know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
