BANGS – With four consecutive victories, including three shutouts, under their belts, along with their first district win during Colton Buzzard’s coaching tenure, the Bangs Dragons look to continue their positive momentum and remain undefeated in District 5-2A Division I action as they visit the Hico Tigers at 7 p.m. Friday.

Bangs (4-2, 1-0) picked up a 48-0 victory at Ballinger last week, while Hico (4-2, 0-1) suffered a 56-27 loss to De Leon.

Regarding the string of shutouts, which is the longest for Bangs since the 1966 squad blanked five opponents in a row, Buzzard said, “It’s all about eliminating big plays and making them do what they’re doing over and over again. That’s a hard thing to do in this day and age. Teams want to score quick and score now, so it’s hard to sustain a 10 or 12 play drive. We eliminated the big plays again this past Friday night, rallied around the football and tackled really well.”

Bangs’ defense is now allowing just 15 points and 217 yards – 112 passing and 105 rushing – per outing with 14 takeaways,

Leading the charge are Cason Tidwell (60 tackles, 8 for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 interception), Eliseo Rivas (42 tackles, 6 for loss), Ryan Alqorum (32 tackles, 11 for loss, 4 sack), Jaxon Duncan (28 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery), Brennan Mendieta (23 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 interception), Joaquin Rubio (23 tackles, 6 for loss, 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries), Kian Kelly (20 tackles, 6 for loss, 3 sacks), Jayden Robinson (19 tackles), and Heath Laughlin (16 tackles, 5 for loss, 4 sacks).

On the flip side of the ball, the Dragons are coming off a 416-yard effort – 309 on the ground and 107 through the air – as the offense is averaging 58 points per game during the win streak.

“It all starts with the offensive line and them knowing who they’re supposed to be blocking, then blocking them well,” Buzzard said. “We’re blocking and being physical and they’ve done that the last four or five games. We’re moving the ball and putting up points and I feel like that’s because our offensive linemen are some of the best in the state. I truly believe that and they keep getting better.”

For the season, Bangs averages 42 points and 340 yards – 247 on the ground and 93 through the air – per game, with only four turnovers.

The Dragons’ ground game is anchored by Tidwell (726 rushing yards, 11 TDs), Jackson Edmisten (168 rushing yards, 1 TD), and Rivas (167 rushing yards, 3 TD). Quarterback Hunter Withers’ (23 of 34 for 355 yards, 6 TDs, 2 INTs) favorite weapons in the air attack include Connor Bible (11-271, 4 TDs), Rex Guerrero (9-88, 3 TDs), Jayden Robinson (5-132), Tidwell (5-53) and Rivas (4- 13, 1 TD).

In Hico’s loss to De Leon last week, the Tigers led 21-16 at halftime and 27-24 in deep into the third quarter before yielding the final 32 points. Tyler Jackson passed for a touchdown and ran for two more, while Cole Heutzenroeder chipped in a rushing touchdown as well.

Hico also lost the season opener to Rio Vista (26-20), then won four in a row over Moody (38-6), Cross Plains (28-13), Itasca (55-7) and Florence (57-7) before falling in the district opener.

Heading into district play, standouts for the Tigers included Jackson (840 passing yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT; 480 rushing yards, 4 TDs), Heutzenroeder (450 rushing yards, 7 TDs), Gage Norris (311 rushing yards, 3 TDs) and Michael John Scheufele (15-246, TD receiving).

“Hico is a really good football team and they were thumping people before district,” Buzzard said. “They run the wishbone and the wing-T and they’ll get in the spread, so they run multiple things that get you out of position and really mess with you. Our biggest key will be being in position and making plays. But they played De Leon really well last week and De Leon is one of the best teams in the state, which shows how good our district is. We’re going to have to play really well, execute well, and play hard.”

According to Harris Ratings Weekly, Bangs is a 14-point favorite, while Dave Campbell’s Texas Football lists the Dragons as 5-point favorites.

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Bangs Dragons 2025 Football Season Stats

Through 6 Games (4-2, 1-0)

TEAM OFFENSE

41.6 points per game (250)

340.3 yards per game (2,042)

247.1 rushing yards per game (1,483)

93.2 passing yards per game (559)

PASSING

* Hunter Withers

23 of 34 for 355 yards, 6 TDs, 2 INTs

* Jaxon Duncan

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

RUSHING

* Cason Tidwell

726 yards on 113 carries, 11 TDs

* Jackson Edmisten

168 yards on 36 carries, 1 TD

* Eliseo Rivas

167 yards on 33 carries, 3 TDs

* Jaxon Duncan

95 yards on 19 carries, 1 TD

* Dayton Vrana

84 yards on 11 carries

* Jayden Robinson

65 yards on 1 carry, TD

* Brennan Mendieta

64 yards on 5 carries, TD

* Connor Bible

18 yards on 4 carries

* Damian Hudspeth

1 yard on 1 carry, 1 TD

* Hunter Withers

-1 yard on 7 carries, 3 TDs

RECEIVING

* Connor Bible

11 catches, 271 yards, 4 TDs

* Rex Guerrero

9 catches, 88 yards, 3 TDs

* Jayden Robinson

5 catches, 132 yards

* Cason Tidwell

5 catches, 53 yards

* Eliseo Rivas

4 catches, 13 yards, 1 TD

* Joaquin Rubio

1 catch, 2 yards

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TEAM DEFENSE

14.8 points per game (89)

217.6 yards per game (1,306)

105.3 rushing yards per game (632)

112.3 passing yards per game (674)

TACKLES

* Cason Tidwell

60 tackles, 8 for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 interception

* Eliseo Rivas

42 tackles, 6 for loss

* Ryan Alqorum

32 tackles, 11 for loss, 4 sacks

* Jaxon Duncan

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

* Brennan Mendieta

23 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 interception

* Joaquin Rubio

23 tackles, 6 for loss, 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries

* Kian Kelly

20 tackles, 6 for loss, 3 sacks

* Jayden Robinson

19 tackles

* Heath Laughlin

16 tackles, 5 for loss, 4 sacks

* Connor Bible

13 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery

* Dayton Vrana

12 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries

* Kason Klutts

11 tackles

* Jackson Edmisten

4 tackles

* Caleb Wagner

3 tackles, 1 for loss

* Rex Guerrero

5 tackles

* Braxton Wommack

2 tackle

* Bryce Schoen

3 tackles

* Colton Wagner

2 tackles

* Jace Duncan

1 tackle, 1 for loss

* Quentin Doll

3 tackles

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TURNOVER MARGIN (+10)

* Bangs: 4 (1 fumble, 3 interceptions)

* Opponents: 14 (3 interceptions, 11 fumbles)