STANDING ON THE BRINK

CLASS 2A ROUNDUP: Needing a win to stay alive in the District 7-2A, DI race, Valley Mills plays host to Itasca; Meridian faces must-win situation on the road at Wortham

When it comes to must-win situations, the two Class 2A high school football teams in Bosque County face a crucial cross roads this week. And the Valley Mills Eagles stand in the brink of elimination while being in desperate need of snapping a three-game losing streak.

After opening District 7-2A, Division I competition with losses to the two frontrunners Axtell and Italy, Valley Mills (0-3 in district, 1-6 overall) suffered a disappointing 14-6 road loss to the Bosqueville Bulldogs. This week, the Eagles will host the Itasca Wampus Cats (1-1, 3-3) at 7 p.m. Friday. The Wampus Cats will be coming off a decisive 27-6 district loss to Dawson.

“Itasca has a very good quarterback and running back combo,” Valley Mills head coach Bob Featherston said. “I think the running back is the best we’ve seen this year, and the quarterback is also very elusive. Defensively, they rally well to the ball and send a lot of pressure. It’s going to be a tough game. Hopefully, we can find a way to win.”

Although not in the same dire situation as Valley Mills, the Class 2A, DII Meridian Yellowjackets desperately need to snap a two-game losing streak to realistically keep their postseason hopes alive.

After dropping back-to-back decisions to District 10-2A, DII playoff hopefuls Frost and Bremond, the Jackets (1-2 in district, 1-5 overall) will hit the road to take on the Wortham Bulldogs (1-2, 3-3) at 7 p.m. Friday. The Bulldogs will be coming off a convincing 36-6 loss to top-ranked Mart.

“Wortham is very physical,” Meridian head coach Jim Kerbow said. “However, they will not have the athletes that Bremond has. They still have a couple players at key positions that could potentially give us trouble if we aren’t prepared to be physical.”

BOSQUEVILLE 14, VALLEY MILLS 6

In an evenly-fought defensive battle, the Bosqueville Bulldogs powered their way to a crucial 14-6 home victory over the Valley Mills Eagles last Friday night.

Bosqueville running back Cooper Wright scored two touchdowns while running for 171 yards offensively as well as collecting 12 tackles on the defensive side of the ball to lead the Bulldog win.

“We played hard, we just couldn’t find a way to win the game,” Valley Mills head coach Bob Featherston said. “We had three trips to the red zone with no scoring. We had too many busts on offense to sustain the drives late. We had opportunities to score, but just wouldn’t finish the drive.”

In the losing effort, junior running back Jasean Johnson led Valley Mills with 104 yards rushing and scored the Eagles’ only touchdown of the game. B Griner struggled through the air, completing only seven of 21 passes for 75 yards while tossing an interception, connecting with J Garcia six times for 72 yards.

Snapping a two-game losing streak to open district, Bosqueville (1-2, 4-3) responded to having their backs up against the wall by scoring two rushing touchdowns while controlling the game on the ground in the first half.

Defensively, B Bell led the Eagles with four tackles, six assists and an interception, followed by C Gentry with three tackles and four assists, as well as F Sadler with three tackles and two assists, making two tackles for losses.

“We gave up a little too much early before settling in and playing well,” Featherston said. “After the two scores early, we did a good job of getting pressure and making some plays. I think it was a battle for four quarters. We just didn’t make the plays when we had the chance, and Bosqueville did.”

BREMOND 70, MERIDIAN 7

Going into the eight-team District 10-2A, Division II following the UIL realignment, the Meridian Yellowjackets knew they would be facing the gauntlet when they lined up against the top-ranked Mart Panthers, Bremond Tigers, Chilton Pirates, Goldthwaite Eagles, Wortham Bulldogs, Frost Polar Bears and Hubbard Jaguars during the 2024 Texas high school football season.

With the Jackets hosting one of the district’s juggernaut’s last Friday night, the 11th-ranked Bremond Tigers devoured Meridian, 70-7, in dominating fashion at Jacket Stadium.

Despite only getting the opportunity to run 33 offensive plays, the Jackets produced 201 yards of total offense, led by senior quarterback Matty Jones, who connected with senior Ian Gomez on an explosive 90-yard scoring strike.

Jones completed six of 10 passes for 103 yards while scrambling for another 33 yards on eight attempts. Leading Meridian in both rushing and receiving to earn Offensive Player of the Week honors, Gomez caught four passes for 105 yards and rushed for 39 yards on eight carries.

“I thought early that we moved the ball pretty well,” Meridian football head coach Jim Kerbow said. “But we couldn’t punch it in once we got to our end of the field.”

On the other hand, the young and talented Tigers scored quickly and often throughout the game, breaking off big plays while employing a ball control, time-consuming offensive attack as well. Bremond rolled up 344 yards of total offense on only 27 plays as six different plays scored touchdowns.

Freshman running back Jeramiah Morgan ran for two touchdowns with a game-high 74 yards rushing, while freshman quarterback completed six of seven passes for 93 yards and two scores.

“Defensively, we struggled with the speed of Bremond’s offense,” Kerbow said. “And several special team errors cost us.”

Sophomore Wayln Sheppard led the Jackets with three tackles and two assists, followed by junior Gunner Chandler and sophomore Ricky Shank with three tackles each, as well as Defensive Player of the Week sophomore Ezekiel Mabry with one tackle and two assists. Jones earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors, while junior Isaac Lira was named the Practice Player of the Week.

Photos by WENDY OROZCO & courtesy of VALERIE KENDRICK PHOTOGRAPHY