Football Preview: Palmer Ridge Bears vs. Rampart Rams
The Palmer Ridge Bears will challenge the Rampart Rams at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Rampart is hoping to do what Liberty couldn't two weeks ago: put an end to Palmer Ridge's winning streak, which now stands at five games. Palmer Ridge blew past Liberty, posting a 45-6 win. Given the Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado football rankings (they are ranked 16th, while the Lancers are ranked 129th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Carson Campbell, who rushed for 130 yards and three touchdowns, and also threw for 48 yards and a touchdown. He showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 55 yards. Another player making a difference was Avier Elvira, who rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.
Palmer Ridge was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 236 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 205 rushing yards in ten consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Rampart had no problem doing just that on Sunday. They claimed a resounding 40-7 victory over the Warriors. The Rams' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Rampart's defense and their four sacks. In that department, Brayden Werth was the leader with two. Another thorn in Grand Junction Central's side was Justus Derickson, who picked up 1.5 sacks, forced a fumble, and made six total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Palmer Ridge pushed their record up to 9-1 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 9.0 points per game. As for Rampart, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's contest: Palmer Ridge has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 393.8 total yards per game. It's a different story for Rampart, though, as they've been averaging only 231.1. Will Palmer Ridge be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will Rampart flip the script?
Everything came up roses for Palmer Ridge against Rampart in their previous meeting back in October, as the squad secured a 50-13 victory. Does Palmer Ridge have another victory up their sleeve, or will Rampart turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
