The Lassen Grizzlies are taking a road trip to square off against the University Prep Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Lassen and Anderson faced off in a Battle of the Bears on Friday. The Grizzlies blew past the Cubs 43-6. With the Grizzlies ahead 29-6 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
Dowan Stephens
| 10/10/25 vs Anderson | 165 |
| 10/03/25 vs Las Plumas | 178 |
| 09/26/25 @ Foothill | 113 |
| 09/12/25 @ Enterprise | 118 |
| 09/05/25 vs Red Bluff | 123 |
Dowan Stephens had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 165 yards and four TDs while picking up 8.3 yards per carry. His rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 113 rushing yards. Taden Jones-Mckernan also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Lassen was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 360 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2024.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask University Prep). They claimed a resounding 49-22 victory over Central Valley. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Falcons recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
University Prep found their leader in freshman Talis Payne, who threw for 264 yards and four touchdowns while completing 88.9% of his passes, and also rushed for 82 yards and a pair of scores on only ten carries. The Panthers' leading receiver Jackson Kersten was Payne's top target yet again, picking up 88 receiving yards and one TD, while also rushing for 41 yards.
The victory was their first on the road , bumping their record up to 2-4. As for Lassen, their record now sits at 4-2.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Lassen has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 268.2 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for University Prep, though, as they've been averaging only 80.5 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Lassen was able to grind out a solid win over University Prep when the teams last played back in October of 2024, winning 27-20. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Grizzlies since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
