The Willits Wolverines will square off against the Fort Bragg Timberwolves at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Willits is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering St. Helena just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Friday. They fell 28-20 to the Saints.
Despite the loss, Willits got top-tier performance from Ricky Britton, who picked up 85 receiving yards and a pair of scores, and also rushed for 37 yards.
While Willits came up short, they sure didn't make it easy for St. Helena: they limited their QB to completion percentage of just 40%. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for the Wolverines; they were averaging 59.3%completion percentage earlier this season, but in their last three contests they've fallen to only 59.3%.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Fort Bragg). They took down Cloverdale 37-18 on Friday. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Timberwolves considering their eight-point performance the matchup before.
Willits better keep an eye on Beau Hebden. He was instrumental in Fort Bragg's win, rushing for 184 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.7 yards per carry. Those 184 rushing yards gave Hebden a new career-high. Ross Knapp was another key player, picking up 164 receiving yards and one TD.
Fort Bragg's defense made their presence known, laying out Kyle Bernardi three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Landon Bradford, Travis Morehouse, and Hayden Jones, who each picked up one sack apiece. Sawyer Schlafer got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Fort Bragg's victory bumped their record up to 4-5. As for Willits, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-2.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Willits has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 170.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Fort Bragg struggles in that department as they've been averaging 152.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Willits was able to grind out a solid win over Fort Bragg when the teams last played back in September of 2024, winning 29-20. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Timberwolves' Alex Nicholson, who rushed for 74 yards and a pair of scores, and also picked up 57 receiving yards. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Wolverines to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
