It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Merced had no problem doing just that on Friday. They managed a 41-35 victory over the Rio Americano Raiders. The win was nothing new for the Bears as they're now sitting on seven straight.
Quintell Dupree continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 77 yards and three touchdowns, while also throwing for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Adarias Morales-Saetern was another key player, gaining 113 total yards and a touchdown.
When it comes to explaining why Rio Americano lost, don't look at Raymar Griffith. Despite the final result, he rushed for 192 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.7 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave Griffith a new career-high in rushing yards. Another player making a difference was Keegan Leary, who rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Merced pushed their record up to 8-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.2 points per game. As for Rio Americano, they now have a losing record at 5-6.
Merced will take on West Park at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. West Park is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 34.9 points per game this season. Rio Americano does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
