The London Pirates will take on the Rio Hondo Bobcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 863 yards in their previous games.
London took a 25-point defeat the last time they faced off against Orange Grove, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Pirates sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 38-35 victory over the Bulldogs on Thursday. The win was nothing new for the Pirates as they're now sitting on three straight.
Alex Manning
| 10/24/25 vs West Oso | 6 |
| 09/12/25 @ Tuloso-Midway | 5 |
| 11/06/25 vs Orange Grove | 4 |
| 10/31/25 @ Palacios | 4 |
| 10/17/25 @ Edna | 4 |
| + 5 more games |
A big part of London's victory came down to the chemistry between Alex Manning and his top target Maddox Jennings. Manning threw for 284 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 10.5 yards per attempt while Jennings picked up 192 receiving yards and four scores. London is 5-2 when Manning posts three or more passing touchdowns, but 1-2 otherwise.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Rio Hondo's strategy against Progreso on Thursday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Bobcats blew the Red Ants out of the water with a 54-0 final score. Considering the Bobcats have won eight games by more than 20 points this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Rio Hondo's win came from a few key players London will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Mario Lopez, who rushed for 203 yards and three TDs on only nine carries. His rushing production has been exceptional for a while as that marked his 12th straight game with at least 104 rushing yards dating back to last season. Alberto Villalovos was in the mix too, providing Rio Hondo with two scores.
Rio Hondo was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 227 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 160 rushing yards in 12 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Rio Hondo, adding 12 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Joel Medina, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
London's record is now 6-4. As for Rio Hondo, their record now sits at 9-1.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. London has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 281.9 passing yards per game. Rio Hondo, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 215.2 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
London took a serious blow against Rio Hondo when the teams last played back in November of 2024, falling 52-20. Can the Pirates avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
