WALL, TX — The No. 2 Wall Hawks begin their district schedule at home this week when the Hawks host the Merkel Badgers (5-1) on Friday, October 10, at Hawk Stadium in Wall. The Hawks are still undefeated this season and come off one of the toughest tests of the season where Wall claimed a 35-21 victory over Idalou last Friday.
Head Coach Craig Slaughter gave his thoughts on the win over Idalou and what he expects from Merkel after practice on Wednesday. Watch that video below:
Idalou proved to be a difficult opponent to overcome in a back-and-forth first half. It took until the third quarter for Wall to finally pull away. Early turnovers were the main contributing factor in the first-half struggle, but Wall once again proved its resilience, scoring 28 unanswered points to put the game away.
"We kinda wrote the script for keeping somebody in the game [last week]," Head Coach Slaughter said. "It was 14-14 at the half. I was really proud after the fact because we were technically down 14-7 before scoring 28 unanswered to take control of it."
Even with two offensive turnovers, Landon York still had himself a day. The Hawks' quarterback finished the win over Idalou with 307 yards through the air and two touchdowns to go along with one interception. York continues to prove he is the guy this season even with the single interception.
Wall Hawks 2025
(Credit: Wall Hawk Sports)
Enter Merkel, a team that struggled last season. At this point in 2024, the Badgers had a 0-6 record heading into the matchup with the Hawks. This season, the Badgers look like a completely different team. At 5-1, the Badgers have proved that they not only turned things around but are a threat to anyone on their schedule.
The Hawks need to continue to play disciplined football moving forward. Landon York and company are dangerous enough behind that staunch Wall Hawks' defense that this should be a game Wall wins handily. However, trap games exist, and the Hawks must show up and play to the "Wall Hawk" standard.
"Last week, there were two turnovers we wished we had back," Slaughter continued. "[This week], I would love to see us get on a roll. 4-play drive score. Get the ball back, 5-play drive score. There is still a level that we know is there that we are working to get to."
Kickoff in Friday's matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m. Coach Slaughter urged the fans to show up and be loud.
"Friday night at seven. We only have two at home left this year and this is one of them. Come out and cheer on the Hawks!" Slaughter concluded.
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