The Veterans Memorial Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the Bastrop Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Veterans Memorial unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. They fell 28-21 to Liberty Hill. The match was a 7-7 toss-up at halftime, but Veterans Memorial was outscored by Liberty Hill in the second.
Despite the loss, Veterans Memorial got a solid performance out of James Peoples, who rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries, and also picked up 47 receiving yards. Peoples was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 67 yards.
Meanwhile, Bastrop was fully in charge on Friday, breezing past Cedar Creek 34-7 on the road. Given Bastrop's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 458th, while Cedar Creek is ranked 990th), the result wasn't exactly an upset.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Bastrop to victory, but perhaps none more so than Weston Nielsen, who threw for 214 yards and four touchdowns on only 16 passes. Another player making a difference was Ladainian Merino, who rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.1 yards per carry.
Bastrop's win bumped their season record to 5-2 while Veterans Memorial's loss dropped theirs to 4-2.
Keep an eye on the end zone in Friday's game as the pair haven't had much trouble getting there this season. Veterans Memorial commands a daunting offense this season, having averaged 5.3 touchdowns per game. However, it's not like Bastrop struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5 per game. With these two high-octane teams facing off on Friday, fans should be in for an exciting offensive matchup.
Veterans Memorial beat Bastrop 44-32 when the teams last played back in October of 2022. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Bastrop's Demire Thompson, who rushed for 173 yards and three touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Veterans Memorial to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
