MERKEL – Momentum shifts were the theme of the night, but when Friday concluded the Bangs Dragons had one too few in their favor as they suffered a 29-26 road loss to the Merkel Badgers. Down 7-6 after one quarter, Bangs (0-2) grabbed a 20-13 halftime advantage, only for Merkel (2-0) to surge back in front, 21-20, heading to the fourth period. The Dragons, who were looking to rebound from last week’s 35-18 opening loss to rival Early, produced 427 yards of total offense – 285 rushing and 142 passing. Through the air, Jaxon Duncan completed 7 of 14 passes for 142 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Badgers generated 235 yards – 157 rushing and 78 rushing – as Easton Malone completed 13 of 19 passes with four touchdowns, and ran for a team-best 37 yards.