BANGS – With their first victory of the season finally under their belts, the Bangs Dragons can now turn their attention to competing for a playoff berth. A victory over the District 2-3A Division II co-leading Sonora Broncos would go a long way toward Bangs achieving that goal.

Kickoff between the Dragons (1-5, 1-1) and Broncos (4-3, 2-0) is slated for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bangs’ Memorial Stadium.

All outcomes have proven to be possible in District 2-3A Division II this year, where reigning district champion and preseason league favorite Ballinger (3-3, 0-2) has yet to win a league game and Grape Creek (3-4, 2-0), which last made the playoffs in 2016 and wasn’t projected to do this season, shares the league lead.

“Any given Friday anything can happen in this district and that’s pretty obvious with Grape Creek and Sonora being 2-0 right now,” said Bangs fourth-year head coach Kyle Maxfield. “And last week was a big boost for us.”

In Bangs’ 43-21 win at Ingram Tom Moore this past Friday, the Dragons churned out 594 yards of total offense, including 471 rushing as Guy Powell finished with 350 yards and two touchdowns.

Kade Minshew chipped in 60 yards rushing and three touchdowns while completing 5 of 9 passes for 64 yards and another score. Skylar Minshew was 3 of 4 through the air for 69 yards and chipped in 28 yards on the ground, while Ian Cortez contributed 30 yards rushing. Keygan Pitts caught three passes for 60 yards, Nate Stoffer added three receptions for 32 yards and Zack Ferguson hauled in a 40-yard touchdown reception. Ethan Ethridge also carried once for 3 yards and ran in a two-point conversion.

Defensively, Bangs gave up just 162 yards and forced a pair of turnovers.

“One of the proudest moments you can have as a head coach is seeing your kids reap the benefits of their hard work,” Maxfield said after the game. “We’ve always felt like we were on the verge of a breakthrough game, but I think what won it for us last night is our kids kept believing. We were playing on our toes instead of our heels last night, we were playing more downhill.”

For the season, the Dragons average 17 points and 304 yards – 234 rushing and 70 passing – per game, with 16 turnovers.

Powell has rushed for 1,043 yards and eight touchdowns followed by Skylar Minshew with 140 yards and Kade Minshew with 98 yards and three scores.

Through the air, Kade Minshew has thrown for 233 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions while Skylar Minshew has added 162 yards with a scoring toss and a pick. Powell has also thrown a 24-yard touchdown and been intercepted once.

Leading receivers for Bangs are Damien Santillanes (8-45), Power (8-36), Zack Ferguson (7-150, TD), Keygan Pitts (4-62), Nate Stoffer (4-39), and Guy Funk (3-29, TD).

On the defensive side of the ball, Bangs surrenders 41 points and 346 yards – 224 on the ground and 122 through the air – with five takeaways.

Tackle leaders include Powell (41 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack), Stoffer (40.5 tackles, 1 sack), Pitts (28.5 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 sacks), Ethan Ethridge (26.5 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sacks, 1 INT), Ian Cortez (15 tackles, 1 for loss), Hunter Bernal (15 tackles), Hunter Newton (13.5 tackles), and Azreal Escobedo (13.5 tackles).

Sonora enters the contest averaging 27 points and 344 yards – 246 rushing and 98 passing – per outing, while allowing 27 points with 15 takeaways for the season. The Broncos own a 3-0 home record, but are just 1-3 on the road.

Jaime Buitron (490 passing yards, 5 TDs, 4 INTs; 537 rushing yards, 3 TDs) and

Sean Mungia (139 passing yards 4 INTs; 434 yards, 4 TDs) have split time at quarterback, while Hunter O’Banon (555 yards, 5 TDs) is the leading rusher. Top receiving threats include Jackson Carroll (17-252, 3 TDs) and Fernando Gonzalez (5-160, 3 TDs).

The Bronco defense is spearheaded by Edgar Deluna (106 tackles, 6 for loss ), Aidan Villanueva (54 tackles, 3 for loss ), Jonathan Lozano (51 tackles), and Ivan Fuentes (38 tackles, 4 for loss).

“They’re returning a lot of players from last year,” Maxfield said. “They’ve got a new coaching staff and you can see throughout the year how they’ve gotten better and better. They’re hitting on all cylinders right now. That was a big win for them against Brady last week, they played a good game, they just made a few more plays and they’re going to be riding high Friday.”

As for the keys to victory for the Dragons, Maxfield said, “Last week our defense really attacked more and tackled well and we need to continue that. Offensively, we’re going to have to handle their defensive tackles, they are men and we’re going to have to be able to control the line of scrimmage and keep them out of our backfield. That’s going to be a big key for us.”

According to Harris Ratings Weekly, Bangs is a 13-point underdog.

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Bangs Dragons 2021 Football Stats

Through 6 Games (1-5, 1-1)

TEAM OFFENSE
17.3 points per game (104)
303.8 yards per game (1,823)

234.0 rushing yards per game (1,404)
69.8 passing yards per game (419)

PASSING
‒ Kade Minshew
27 of 48 for 233 yards, 2 TDs, 6 INTs

‒ Skylar Minshew
14 of 21 for 162 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

‒ Guy Powell
1 of 2 for 24 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

RUSHING

‒ Guy Powell
1,043 yards on 129 carries, 8 TDs

‒ Skylar Minshew

140 yards on 33 carries

‒ Kade Minshew

98 yards on 32 carries, 3 TDs

‒ Damien Santillanes
55 yards on 15 carries

‒ Ian Cortez

31 yards on 8 carries

‒ Hunter Newton
27 yards on 1 carry

‒ Ethan Ethridge

14 yards on 2 carries

‒ Zack Ferguson

6 yards on 1 carry

RECEIVING
‒ Damien Santillanes
8 catches for 45 yards

‒ Guy Powell
8 catches for 36 yards

‒ Zack Ferguson
7 catches for 150 yards, TDS

‒ Keygan Pitts
4 catches for 62 yards

‒ Nate Stoffer
4 catches for 39 yards

‒ Guy Funk
3 catches for 29 yards, TD

‒ Braxton Melling
2 catches for 29 yards

‒ Ian Cortez
1 catch for 15 yards, TD

‒ Ethan Ethridge
1 catch for 2 yards

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TEAM DEFENSE

41.1 points per game (247)

346.1 yards per game (2,077)
223.8 rushing yards per game (1,343)
122.3 passing yards per game (734)

TACKLES

‒ Guy Powell
41 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack

‒ Nate Stoffer
40.5 tackles, 1 sack

‒ Keygan Pitts
28.5 tackles, 3 for loss , 2 sacks

‒ Ethan Ethridge
26.5 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sacks, 1 INT

‒ Ian Cortez
15 tackles, 1 for loss

‒ Hunter Bernal
15 tackles

‒ Hunter Newton
13.5 tackles

‒ Azreal Escobedo
13.5 tackles

‒ Damien Santillanes
11.5 tackles

‒ Guy Funk

11 tackles, 1 INT

‒ David Herrera
10 tackles

‒ Sergio Lopez
9.5 tackles, 2 for loss

‒ Noah Pin
8.5 tackles, 1 for loss

‒ Donovan Ruiz
7 tackles

‒ Zack Ferguson
6 tackles

‒ Warren Theriaque
5 tackles, 2 for loss

‒ Isaiah Seratto
5 tackles

‒ Weston Jundt
5 tackles

‒ Braxton Melling
4.5 tackles

‒ Skylar Minshew
4 tackles, 1 INT

‒ Caedmon Tidwell
2.5 tackles

‒ Luke Duncan
1 tackle

‒ Brody Newton
1 tackle

‒ Cody Carpenter
0.5 tackle

‒ Kade Minshew
0.5 tackle

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TURNOVER MARGIN: (-11)
Bangs 16 — 8 INTs, 8 fumbles

Opponents 5 — 3 INTs, 2 fumbles