Two dominant signal callers in Cole Taylor and Weston Nielsen are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Pflugerville Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bastrop Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Pflugerville's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Crockett, posting a 69-0 victory. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 255th, while the Cougars are ranked 1122nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Pflugerville relied on the efforts of Rhyder Miller, who gained 158 total yards and two touchdowns, and Taylor, who threw for 226 yards and five touchdowns while completing 88.2% of his passes. Taylor is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for four or more in the last three games he's played. Quentin James was another key player, gaining 48 total yards and two touchdowns.
Pflugerville didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. Jaylen Anderson led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself.
Meanwhile, Bastrop had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 46.5 points) and they went ahead and made it five on Friday. They blew past the Wildcats 47-24.
Bastrop found their leader in sophomore Nielsen, who threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns while completing 83.3% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Jaelyn Gratten was Nielsen's top target, picking up 84 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Bastrop wouldn't let Elgin keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Bastrop can thank Val Regalado and Andy McCarus for forcing both of them.
Pflugerville's win bumped their record up to 6-2. As for Bastrop, they pushed their record up to 6-2 with the victory, which was their third straight at home.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Pflugerville has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 151.5 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Bastrop has preferred to attack from the air: they average 302.9 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Pflugerville came up short against Bastrop in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, falling 48-42. Will Pflugerville have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
