Football Preview: Utica Chieftains vs. Dakota Cougars
Utica is 0-3 against Dakota since September of 2022 but things could change on Friday. The Utica Chieftains will square off against the Dakota Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Utica will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any points two weeks ago, then bounced right back against Cousino on Friday. Utica came out on top against Cousino by a score of 31-21.
Meanwhile, Dakota faced Oxford in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. Dakota's defense stepped up to hand Oxford a 28-0 shutout. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven contests by 24 points or more this season.
A big part of Dakota's victory came down to the chemistry between Jadon Ford and his top target Chase Thornton. Ford threw for 187 yards and two touchdowns while Thornton picked up 104 receiving yards and a touchdown. What's more, Ford also racked up 21 rushing yards, the most he's had since back in October of 2023.
Dakota's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB six times. Logan Criteser was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up 2.5 sackshimself. Brady Hamby was another major factor on D, making 12 total tackles (1.0 for loss) and defending a pass.
Utica's win bumped their record up to 4-5. As for Dakota, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 8-1.
Utica took a serious blow against Dakota in their previous matchup two weeks ago, falling 35-0. Can Utica avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
