Bridge City (2-0) at Orangefield (2-0):

It’s the Bayou Bowl as Bridge City head coach Josh Smalley takes his squad five miles north to visit his old stomping grounds where he spent a dozen seasons as Orangefield’s head coach.

Bridge City had no trouble rolling past Kirbyville last week, 35-13, as the Cardinals defense led by Asher Richards and Bryce Breeden were smothering KHS all night. WR Abraham Mungia is an explosive weapon on the outside as he had a touchdown catch, so look for BCHS to try to get the ball in his hands as much as possible.

Orangefield had no trouble last week with 2A New Waverly in a 45-9 win as they showed no signs of a letdown after their upset win over 3A-Division II state runner-up Woodville in Week 1. Lamar RB commit Mason Manning ran for three scores for the Bobcats, while LB Kaleb Menard had 15 tackles and a blocked field goal to pace the OHS defense.

This should be an absolute war. On paper these two are evenly matched and there’s no love lost in this rivalry. Bridge City is a little more diverse on offense and has a few more weapons, so the edge goes to the 4A program in this fun showdown.

Stepp’s Pick: Bridge City by 2