MERKEL – The Bangs Dragons will enter the District 5-2A Division I portion of their schedule in the midst of a two-game win streak thanks to Friday night’s 28-13 triumph over the Merkel Badgers.

“It was a good win for the Dragons,” said Bangs fifth-year head coach Kyle Maxfield. “We definitely took steps forward in all three phases of the game tonight.”

Bangs (2-2), which has claimed both of its wins away from home, forced three Merkel (1-3) turnovers – including a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown by Zack Ferguson that iced the victory. Nate Stoffer, who led the team with 10 tackles, pounced on a fumble, while Guy Powell also picked off a pass and tallied seven tackles. Keygan Pitts tied for the team lead with 10 takedowns while Sergio Lopez chipped in eight tackles.

“We actually came closing to shutting them out,” Maxfield said. “Their two touchdowns came on a reverse pass and a third and 20-something hail mary into the end zone to a really tall receiver. But we also got another pick six for a touchdown.”

Offensively, Bangs churned out 319 yards of total offense – 230 rushing and 89 passing.

Powell ignited the rushing attack with 150 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, quarterback Kenny Cole tacked on 47 yards and a score on eight rushes, and Pitts finished with seven carries for 33 yards.

Through the air, Cole connected on 5 of 11 pass attempts for 89 yards. Hunter Newton led the way with 63 receiving yards on two catches, Skyler Minshew hauled in a pair of receptions for 10 yards, and Guy Funk yanked down a 16-yard catch.

“We really opened the offense up,” Maxfield said. “Of course their No. 1 priority was to stop Guy, but we came out on the first drive and threw it down the field, spread the ball around and made some plays.”

Regarding the emergence of a consistent passing attack the last two weeks, Maxfield said, “That’s going to be huge going into district play. Guy still got his yards, but when you open up the offense, it opens more things for him, too. Our quarterback threw the ball really well, and we took care of business when we had to, but we also left some points out there.”

Next week, Bangs kicks off District 5-2A Division I action with its straight third road game at De Leon (3-1) – a 52-7 winner against Hico Friday night.

“We definitely have some momenutm going into district, but so does De Leon,” Maxfield said. “Everybody’s going to put their best foot forward, so we’ll see what happens.”