Football Preview: Palisade Bulldogs vs. Summit Tigers
Palisade has gone 8-1 against Summit recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Palisade Bulldogs will face off against the Summit Tigers at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Palisade took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They claimed a resounding 35-3 win over Grand Junction Central at home. That 32 point margin sets a new team best for the Bulldogs this season.
Palisade got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Cade Carter out in front who rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown. Nathan Umberger got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Palisade was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 350 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
Meanwhile, Summit won against Aspen last Friday with 22 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. In a tight match that could have gone either way, Summit made off with a 22-21 win over Steamboat Springs. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Tigers.
Summit'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 Dylan Gonsholt and Alejandro Baray-Jain. Henry Eslich was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 11 total tackles.
Palisade pushed their record up to 3-2 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. As for Summit, the win got them back to even at 2-2.
Thursday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Palisade has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 227.6 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Summit, though, as they've been averaging only 96.7. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Everything came up roses for Palisade against Summit in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 44-6 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Summit's Ben Elam, who rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for Palisade to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
