Football Recap: Hill City Skates Past Thunder Ridge with Ease + How To Watch

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Previous 6 Games

09/19/25 - Home	58-12 W
09/20/24 - Away	54-6 W
09/15/23 - Home	28-18 W
09/16/22 - Away	48-22 W
09/20/19 - Home	22-48 L
09/14/18 - Away	53-6 W

Hill City won the last time they faced Thunder Ridge and things went their way on Friday too. The Ringnecks blew past the Longhorns 58-12. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Ringnecks.

A big part of Hill City's win came down to the chemistry between Tate Balthazor and his top target Tyler Ashbaugh. Balthazor threw for 192 yards and four TDs while completing 77.8% of his passes while Ashbaugh gained 182 total yards and four touchdowns. That's the most passing touchdowns Balthazor has posted since back in October of 2024. Jaxson Smith was in the mix as well, providing Hill City with two touchdowns.

Hill City was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 209 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 153 rushing yards in eight consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Hill City didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Balthazor and Slade Rohr.

Hill City now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Thunder Ridge, their loss dropped their record down to 1-2.

Looking ahead, Hill City will challenge Rawlins County at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Ringnecks will need to watch out since the Buffaloes have now posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season. As for Thunder Ridge, they will face off against Linn at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The game will give the Longhorns their first taste of in-conference action this season.