BANGS – The Bangs Dragons have reeled off three consecutive victories, including back-to-back shutouts, and they look to carry that momentum into their District 5-2A Division I opener as they visit the Ballinger Bearcats at 7 p.m. Friday.

Bangs (3-2) and Ballinger (3-2) carry identical records into the first game of league play, as the Dragons are looking to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2021. Meanwhile, the Bearcats advanced to the bi-district round last year after a fourth-place district finish.

“This is a big game, there’s no sugar coating that,” said Bangs second-year head coach Colton Buzzard. “The kids know that any district game is a big game, but it’s important for us to win this game. If we do, it opens so many different things throughout the rest of district play. If you lose, it doesn’t mean you’re out of it by any means, but it gives you a different mindset going into the rest of district.”

Regarding his thoughts on this year’s District 5-2A Division I race, Buzzard said, “I’m anxious to see what we look like compared to our district. These are the games that matter, those last five games that we played previously don’t matter anymore. Those were used to practice for this, and if we can take what we learned there and put it into district, I think we can surprise a lot of people. It’s going to be a battle each week. Any team in our district can make the playoffs. We have a tough district and people may be writing us off because of our record last year. I don’t mind being the underdog, but our kids are going to be ready to play and I think people are going to be surprised at what the Bangs Dragons have to offer.”

Ballinger has won more games than its lost thus far, despite losing starting quarterback Wyatt Clements and starting running back Aiden Pena due to injuries. The Bearcats own wins over Christoval (13-6), San Angelo TLCA (27-6) and Stanton (21-17), with losses to Merkel (38-26) and Brady (36-19).

Coleman King has stepped in at quarterback, while Hunter Kresta (19-276, 4 TDs) and Manny Gonzalez (14-207, 4 TDs) lead the receiving corps. On the ground, Pierson Nord and Braden Belk have sparked the rushing attack

In terms of common opponents, Ballinger fell to Merkel in the season opener, 38-26, the game in which Clements suffered a broken leg, while the Dragons were nipped by Merkel, 29-26, in a game where Bangs was threatening to pull ahead in the closing seconds.

“Ballinger is always going to be big and physical and that’s what they’ve shown on film,” Buzzard said. “They’re 3-2, too, so it should be a good game. They throw the ball well, they run the ball well, and I feel like we do the same. The defense is the heart of their team. They blitz a lot and that’s what you do in a 3-3 stack, you never know where the pressure’s coming from. Every drive is going to be matter, so it should be fun.”

Bangs heads into the game averaging 37 points and 325 yards – 235 rushing and 90 passing – per game, with only four turnovers. The Dragons’ Wing-T rushing attack is anchored by Cason Tidwell (541 rushing yards, 7 TDs), Jackson Edmisten (168 yards, 1 TD), and Eliseo Rivas (129 rushing yards, 2 TDs). Quarterback Hunter Withers has completed 18 of 28 passes for 248 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions, while leading receivers include Connor Bible (9-207, 3 TDs), Rex Guerrero (9-88, 3 TDs), and Jayden Robinson (4-103).

“We’ve really gotten better at the line of scrimmage, with both our hands and our feet, and that’s the name of the game,” Buzzard said. “If you win the line of scrimmage and can dominate there, you’ll win the game. We’ve been doing that the last couple of weeks, but this week we’re going to have to be able to pick up their blitzes. Their linebackers blitz a lot and if we pick that up we can have some success, but if not it could be a long night for us.”

On the defensive side of the ball, the Dragons are surrendering 18 points and 212 yards – 109 through the air and 103 on the ground – with 12 takeaways. Standouts include Cason Tidwell (48 tackles, 5 for loss, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception), Eliseo Rivas (36 tackles, 5 for loss), Ryan Alqorum (26 tackles, 7 for loss, 2 sacks), Jaxon Duncan (22 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery), Brennan Mendieta (19 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 interception), Joaquin Rubio (19 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries), Kian Kelly (16 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 sacks), Jayden Robinson (16 tackles), and Heath Laughlin (14 tackles, 4 for loss, 3 sacks).

“We have to be able to limit their big plays offensively,” Buzzard said. “They’re a big play offense and they’ve made some splash plays. We have to make sure we’re good with their motions. They move guys around a lot, so we have to make sure we communicate across the board and move with their motions.”

According to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, the Dragons are 29-point underdogs, but Harris Ratings Weekly lists Bangs as a 2-point favorite this week.

“I truly believe if we execute our game plan and do what we’re supposed to do, we’ll come up with the results we want to have,” Buzzard said.

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Bangs Dragons 2025 Football Season Stats

Through 5 Games (3-2)

TEAM OFFENSE

36.5 points per game (146)

325.2 yards per game (1,626)

234.8 rushing yards per game (1,174)

90.4 passing yards per game (452)

PASSING

* Hunter Withers

18 of 28 for 248 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs

* Jaxon Duncan

12 of 20 for 204 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT

RUSHING

* Cason Tidwell

541 yards on 98 carries, 7 TDs

* Jackson Edmisten

168 yards on 36 carries, 1 TD

* Eliseo Rivas

129 yards on 20 carries, 2 TDs

* Jayden Robinson

65 yards on 1 carry, TD

* Brennan Mendieta

64 yards on 5 carries, TD

* Dayton Vrana

60 yards on 8 carries

* Jaxon Duncan

37 yards on 8 carries, 1 TD

* Connor Bible

18 yards on 4 carries

* Damian Hudspeth

1 yard on 1 carry, 1 TD

* Hunter Withers

-5 yards on 6 carries, 3 TDs

RECEIVING

* Connor Bible

9 catches, 207 yards, 3 TDs

* Rex Guerrero

9 catches, 88 yards, 3 TDs

* Jayden Robinson

4 catch, 103 yards

* Cason Tidwell

4 catches, 42 yards

* Eliseo Rivas

3 catches, 10 yards, 1 TD

* Joaquin Rubio

1 catch, 2 yards

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TEAM DEFENSE

17.8 points per game (89)

212.0 yards per game (1,060)

102.8 rushing yards per game (514)

109.2 passing yards per game (546)

TACKLES

* Cason Tidwell

48 tackles, 5 for loss, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception

* Eliseo Rivas

36 tackles, 5 for loss

* Ryan Alqorum

26 tackles, 7 for loss, 2 sacks

* Jaxon Duncan

22 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery

* Brennan Mendieta

19 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 interception

* Joaquin Rubio

19 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries

* Kian Kelly

16 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 sacks

* Jayden Robinson

16 tackles

* Heath Laughlin

14 tackles, 4 for loss, 3 sacks

* Connor Bible

10 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 interception

* Dayton Vrana

9 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries

* Kason Klutts

8 tackles

* Jackson Edmisten

4 tackles

* Caleb Wagner

3 tackles, 1 for loss

* Rex Guerrero

3 tackles

* Braxton Wommack

2 tackle

* Bryce Schoen

2 tackles

* Colton Wagner

2 tackles

* Jace Duncan

1 tackle, 1 for loss

* Quentin Doll

1 tackle

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TURNOVER MARGIN (+8)

* Bangs: 4 (1 fumble, 3 interceptions)

* Opponents: 12 (3 interceptions, 19 fumbles)