Friday Night Football Central Previews for Week 4

It’s Week 4 already!? Hey, it goes by fast once the season gets started, and so far, it hasn’t disappointed. Several of our coverage area teams are sitting pretty good in the non-district standings, and this week a few will finish up that portion of their schedule as district will be starting very, very soon. Last week, Cameron Yoe picked up their first win of the season in overtime against the Maypearl Panthers. Rosebud-Lott remains unbeaten after their win at home over the Dawson Bulldogs. Thorndale moved to 2-1 on the season with their blowout win over the Bartlett Bulldogs, and the Buckholts Badgers picked up a huge win over Mullin to also move to 2-1 on the year. Chilton improved to 30, shutting out Marlin – still looking for their first win – and have not been scored on the past two games. Milano returns to action this week and hope to see their first win on the season. Let’s see who will be playing who, and where!

Cameron Yoe Yoemen (12) 11-3A DI at Lorena Leopards (1-2) 12-4A DII Leopard Field, Lorena High School 7:30 p.m.

Cameron looks to be back on track, after picking up a tough overtime win at home over the Maypearl Panthers. Coach Babino’s team is starting to execute much better both offensively and defensively. Babino says the team has been practicing really hard, and being more physical, while learning to overcome adversity. This week, they’ll be matched up with the Lorena Leopards, who also come in with a 1-2 record. QB Jaxon Blancett, and RB Brody Deleon will lead the Leopard offense. Yoe lost last year’s game to Lorena, so this is one of those “payback” games. Cameron Yoe has one more non-district game left after this one before district starts.

Marlin Bulldogs (0-3) 13-2A DI at Hearne Eagles (0-3) 12-2A DI Wood Field in Hearne 7 p.m.

The Bulldogs lost to rival Chilton last Friday night at home. This was the third consecutive lose for Coach Jeff Rogers squad. The Bulldogs will need more from QB De’Angelo Wright, and receivers Damorris Daniel, Kenyen Trotter, Dai’Viyon Evans, Akhairy Smith, DaQuan Evans, and Omari Cleveland, as well as improvement in the run game. This could be the week it all comes together for Marlin, as they face a winless Hearne team, who lost by 30 to Bryan Brazos Christian last week. TE Kellen Bowser, and LB Zayden Mercer will be a couple of key players to watch during the game for the Eagles. Last season, the Bulldogs won 33-13. Marlin looks to make it two-in-a-row.

Rosebud-Lott Cougars (3-0) 13-2A DI at Bosqueville (3-0) 7-2A DI Bulldog Stadium in Bosqueville 7 p.m.

The Cougars are on a roll so far this year, collecting their third consecutive win last week over Dawson. Coach Brandon Hicks team has executed well on offense, averaging 48 points per game, while the Cougar defense has given up only 20 points in three games. “At this point in this season, the main focus is to improve each week regardless of the final result,” Hicks said. So far, the Cougars have been focused on the field, giving their opponents grief for four quarters of the game. Hicks gives kudos to Bosqueville, R-Ls opponent this week as it’ll be a battle of unbeatens. QB Pryce Rabroker is having a great season so far, and most recently, the junior threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns in the Dawson win. RB Zaylon Wells churned out 167 yards on the ground in that win, and pocketed a couple of TDs, while WR Kaiden Johnson was the recipient of both touchdown passes from Rabroker, while also catching four balls for 126 yards. On defense, Hugo Costilla and Maleek Knox are averaging nine tackles per game.

Bosqueville enters this Friday’s contest averaging 40 ppg, and like the Cougars, their defense has been stingy with points, giving up a mere 25 on the year so far. Last week they had a 35-0 shutout win over Meridian. Coach Reggie Patrick’s Bulldogs started the 2024 season 3-0 before losing to the Cougars. They hope that will not be the case again. Players to watch for the Bulldogs will be WR Dax Pharris, LB Camp Youens, and OL/DL Jonathan Arias. This should be a good game, but look for the Cougars to crank it up offensively on the Bulldogs.

Gordon Longhorns (3-0) 13-1A/Six-Man at Thorndale Bulldogs (21) 14-2A DI Bulldog Stadium in Thorndale 7 p.m.

I literally had to do a double-take, triple-take, heck, a whole Iron Man competition to see if this was right (Head still spinning)! Gordon plays Six-Man football. Why they just finished knocking off the Strawn Greyhounds last Friday, 58-8, and now they’re going up against an 11-Man team? It’s true! According to DCTFs Matt Stepp, in his May 12, 2025 article, Gordon is playing a few games on their schedule against 11-Man programs, including this week against Thorndale. Gordon is the defending Class 1ADI state champion for the past two seasons, and look good enough to possibly earn a third this season. Players to watch for the Longhorns are RB Stryker Reed, RB Ry Reed, and WR Brayden Walters, all DI college prospects.

The Bulldogs are fresh off a lopsided victory over Bartlett, that saw QB Case McDaniel throw for 172 yards and three touchdowns, with three receivers catching TD passes, Kade Becker (2-39-1), Will Cloud (1-30-1), and Jaxson Eschberger (2-88-1). Thorndale utilized it’s rungame in the win, with Cole Harkins leading the charge with 13 carries for 83 yards and three rushing touchdowns, while Hayden Thigpen pitched in with four carries for 81 yards and a TD. Ryan Creech saw action in the Bulldog backfield with four rushes for 61 yards and a touchdown. Gordon will have their hands full trying to stop Thorndale’s offense. I believe this is the first-ever meeting between these two teams. It’ll be interesting to see how this will play out. The Bulldogs are picked to win by four touchdowns… and four extra-points.

Moody Bearcats (1-2) 13-2A DI at Milano Eagles (0-2) 13-2A DII Pruitt Field in Milano 7:30 p.m.

The Eagles got some much needed rest last week, as they prepared for this Friday night’s game with Moody. Coach Nicholas Morehead has a young team this year that is getting plenty of game experience on the field. Milano has three freshman playing on defense, with a fourth shuffling in from time-totime, according to Coach Morehead. “They are learning and getting better,” Morehead says. “We are going to have to grow up fast and keep getting better defensively.” On offense, he mentions that there are some mistakes that have to be corrected, but with any young team rebuilding, it’ll take a little time to get the execution down. QB Peyton Steinbecker and converted OL/DL Troy Montoya in at running back, have led the Eagles offense so far this season. Moody’s only win of the season thus far, came in their season opener against Itasca, ensuring that they won’t have a winless season like they had in 2024. Since then, the Bearcats have been blown out by Hico and Bremond. So, they will be looking to turn the tables against the Eagles. Players to watch for Moody will be WR Caleb Stinson, Athlete Ross Petree, QB Lee Womack, and OL/DL Santiago Castillo (6-0, 290). Milano shutout the Bearcats last year, 40-0, part of three games where Moody put up goose eggs on the scoreboard.

Buckholts Badgers (2-1) 16-1A/Six-Man DII at Hill County Wolves (0-3) TAIAO DIII-South/Six-Man St. Mary’s Catholic School Mustang Sports Center, West, Texas 7 p.m.

The Badgers picked up the W against Mullin last Friday night, boosting their season record to 2-1 on the season. RB Miguel Hernandez led the Buckholts offense with 19 carries for 157 yards and two TDs in the win, while WR Johandy Ventura caught two passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Blade Duarte was the top Badger defender, recording 17 total tackles in the win, bringing up his season total to 30. Ventura has 19 tackles on the year, plus two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries. Coach Robert Smith hopes his team can avenge last year’s loss to Hill County – a homeschool football program – but his Badgers are up to the challenge. “They’re excited,” Smith said. “We are doing what we can to prepare and get them back. Should be a good game.” The Wolves had stellar performances from their QB Connor Knight, and RB Tristan Knight in their high scoring loss to Morgan last Friday. Connor threw for 164 yards and three TDs, while Tristan carried 19 times for 267 yards and scored four touchdowns. While Hill County showed they can take to the air in their last game, it’s something they don’t really do that often as the Wolves have thrown for only 303 yards in their three games. The ground game is different, and the Badgers will have to figure out a way to stop Tristan, who has 607 yards through three games, and eight TDs. The Wolves have three players – William O’Daniel, Jaylen Henderson, and Tristan Knight – with 20plus tackles. Henderson and teammate Adrian Mitchell have two fumble recoveries each. However, the Badgers have lots of talent, and you never know just who’ll get the call to carry the ball, or catch passes as several players rotate in and out of the offense on a regular basis. Like Coach Smith stated, this should be a good game! Chilton has this Friday night off, as well as the rest of the teams in their district. 10-2A DII begins district play next Friday, September 26th, and the Pirates hope to add plenty more wins to their current 3-0 record, and make a run for the district title. However, they do play in a district that has the Bremond Tigers, Mart Panthers, and Goldthwaite Eagles. All three teams have won state championships. Mart with eight, while Bremond and Goldthwaite have four titles each. Chilton joins the group with two state titles, and could have made it to the finale in 2023 if it weren’t for the Mart getting in their way in the semifinals.