It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Bells had no problem doing just that on Thursday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Blooming Grove Lions 44-0. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 476th, while the Lions are ranked 981st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Bells to victory were Tucker Crites and Easton Branam. Crites rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns on only five carries, while Branam rushed for 128 yards on only ten carries. The dominant performance gave Crites a new career-high in rushing yards.
Bells was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 414 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 175 rushing yards in 22 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Bells wouldn't let Blooming Grove keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. Bells can thank Peyton Washburn and Je'Marrion Washington for forcing all of them. Washburn has been hot for a while, having also posted six or more total tackles the last 15 times he's played.
Bells is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. Those good results were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 11.0 points per game. As for Blooming Grove, they now have a losing record at 5-6.
Bells will be staying on the road on Friday to face off against Tolar at 7:00 p.m. Tolar will roll in looking for their tenth straight win, something Bells surely won't give up without a fight. Blooming Grove does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
