Midland Bulldogs (7-0, 2-0) vs. Odessa Bronchos (5-2, 2-0)
Andrew Rodriguez has been one of the top receivers on the team this season for Odessa.
| Andrew Rodriguez MaxPreps
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, Astound Broadband Stadium, 801 North Loop 250 West, Midland, TX
Enrollments: Midland (2,323) , Odessa (3,914)
Coaches: Midland- Thad Fortune, Odessa- Dusty Ortiz
Last meeting: Midland 41, Odesa 31 (10/21/22)
Streaks: Midland- 7 wins, Odessa- 4 wins
At Stake: The Bulldogs and Bronchos are both riding big winning streaks and tied for the lead in the 6A Region I District 2. Midland looks to stay undefeated, while Odessa eyes sole possession of first in the conference despite a lower overall record.
What to watch: Midland has been riding on all cylinders and are fresh off a 38-28 win at Frenship, where they ran for a total of 446 yards. On the season they have outscored opponents 300-131, averaging about 43 points and giving up an average of less than 19 points per game.
Last week, Stroman Bridges had 209 yards on nine carries for his best game of the season to lead the charge, but they also had two other ball carriers who were over 100 yards. McCoy went for 123 yards and three scores and Anthony Kolb had 114 yards with most coming on a 94-yard touchdown run. McCoy averages 7.2 yards per carry and 1,070 yards with six scores this year.
The Midland defense had four interceptions and a fumble recovery, led by Athen Dominguez with a pick. Dominguez leads the squad with 89 tackles and four picks. Darrion Mitchell had three sacks, 31 tackle and 5.5 tackles for a loss.
Odessa is coming off a 71-70 shootout where quarterback Mikey Cota went off for nine touchdowns in the overtime win. He was 27-for-38 for 534 yards passing with eight touchdowns. He also ran one in for a score.
On the season Cota averages 319 yards per game, tallying 2,233 yards, 25 touchdowns and six picks while completing 58.3% of passes.
Watch out for Dejuan Green, who sprinted for an 83-yard touchdown on a pass by Cota. He is a playmaker who can go the distance any play. He has 112 rushes for 785 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground, and also 14 catches for 204 yards receiving.
The Bronchos have a three-headed-monster at wide receiver: Isaac Carreon (33 catches, 706 yards, 11 touchdowns), Jalen Warren (37 catches, 534 yards, 7 touchdowns) and Andrew Rodriguez (30 catches, 561 yards, five touchdowns). Last week Warren went for 11 catches for 188 yards and Carreon caught six passes for 149 yards.
Senior defensive back Zayne Minjarez is the top defender with 79 tackles and 10 for a loss, and one interception.