Football Preview: Empire Ravens vs. Douglas Bulldogs
The Empire Ravens will venture away from home to square off against the Douglas Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Empire will be strutting in after a victory while Douglas will be coming in after a defeat.
Empire will bounce into Friday's match after beating Pueblo, who they hadn't topped in four consecutive meetings. Empire took down Pueblo 37-20 on Friday. The Ravens' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Ngonkra Fuangunyi was his usual excellent self, rushing for 157 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.7 yards per carry, and also catching a touchdown. He showed off some serious burst, turning on the afterburners on one carry for 67 yards. Nikolas Bejarano also helped out with an impressive 95 receiving yards.
Empire's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged four passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Adam Armstrong and Julian Santacruz. Another thorn in Pueblo's side was Kienan Parker, who forced a fumble and made seven total tackles.
Meanwhile, Douglas was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They lost 35-9 to Ironwood Ridge. Having soared to a lofty 33 points in the game before, the Bulldogs couldn't push the score so high this time.
Even though they lost, Douglas was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 213 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 169 rushing yards in ten consecutive games dating back to last season.
Even if they lost, Douglas' defensive line still kept up the pressure with six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Jose Ocano and Omar Falcon, who racked up four sacks between them.
Empire's win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Douglas, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-4.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Empire has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 178.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Douglas struggles in that department as they've been averaging 213.2. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Empire came up short against Douglas in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, falling 34-21. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Douglas' Ivan Higuera, who threw for 237 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 88 yards. Now that Empire knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
