Bragging rights to the Jim Nance Memorial Bridge will be on the line Friday at 7 p.m. at Conger Field.

That’s when Purcell and Lexington will tee it up for their annual clash on the gridiron.

Lexington, coming off a 14-6 victory over Wayne last Friday night, is coming to Purcell with a bucket full of confidence.

When Purcell Head Coach Aaron Dillard was asked about the Bulldogs the first words out of his mouth were “their quarterback.”

Dillard said senior signal caller Cadyn Krueger is a very good player.

“He’s a dual threat quarterback who is very athletic. He’s good at running and has a good arm. I think he’s best when the play breaks down and he has to be on the run,” Dillard confirmed.

“He has a couple of good receivers in Cale Garver and Cody Rollins,” the coach said.

“They move Garver around from wide receiver to tight end. He had a long touchdown against Wayne. He’s a big, fast, athletic receiver.”

Another thing the 2025 ‘Dawgs have going for them is experience.

“They have a lot of guys that have played a lot of high school football,” Dillard said of this year’s senior class. “They are a very experienced group.

“The key for us is to neutralize and contain Krueger. We have to win first and third down and keep them behind the sticks where they are more predictable.”

Last Friday night at Conger Field Washington pinned a 42-25 loss on Purcell.

Senior quarterback Deaken Dobbins threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another.

Dobbins started the Purcell scoring on a 16-yard run in the first quarter but the extra point was blocked.

Carter Bennett scampered in from seven yards out in the second period but the try for two failed. Washington took a 21-12 lead into the halftime locker room.

The Dragons scored twice more in the second half one on a 42-yard pass from Dobbins to Cooper Selman and one on a seven yard Oscar Wren burst followed by a Paul Glorius PAT.

Purcell also had a field goal blocked in the contest.

“Offensively we had a lot of guys that played well,” Dillard said. “I’m really proud of our offensive line that played a good game against a very good defensive line.

“Kaden Pliler had a tough assignment. He did a good job on their nose guard, holding him in check. Halo DiRienzo, Dylan Smith, Brian Cazares and Aron Barrera all played well.”

The Dragons rushed for 243 yards and finished the night with 362 yards of total offense.

“We had a lot of production from a lot of guys,” the coach continued. “Carter Bennett had a great game and Cooper Selman had a big night as did Carlos Lara and Cash Cook.”

Dobbins was 7-13 passing for 118 yards and the two touchdowns and carried the ball 23 times for 123 yards and a score.

“Deaken Dobbins had one of the best nights of football I’ve ever seen,” Dillard said praising his quarterback. “Even on drives where we didn’t score, we flipped the field.”

Going into the game Purcell wanted to control the clock and the tempo and Dillard said he felt like that game plan worked.

The Dragons ran 80 offensive plays to 40 for the Warriors.

“We’ve still got to finish drives. We left some points out there against Washington,” he said.

On the defensive side of the ball the coach saw several bright spots.

“Dylan Smith played well in the defensive line and our secondary covered extremely well,” the coach confirmed. “They have a lot of good receivers and we gave up one long pass play. But all-in-all I thought we covered. Oscar Wren and Cooper Selman played well at corner.”

Selman stepped in front of an errant Warrior pass and took it the other way.

“That was a big interception inside the Red Zone. It was a big time play at that juncture of the game,” Dillard said.

The coach also praised the play of Dobbins from his safety position.

Dragon notes:

Head coach Aaron Dillard nominated Deaken Dobbins as the Offensive Player of the Week. Dobbins ran for a touchdown gaining 123 yards on the ground. He also threw for a touchdown going 7-18 for 118 yards through the air.

Cooper Selman was the Defensive Player of the Week nominee. He had four tackles and an interception.

Getting the nod in the Offensive line was Brian Cazares, who graded out at 81 percent.

Dylan Smith was the nominee as the Defensive Lineman of the Week with three tackles.