Football Game Preview: Air Academy Kadets vs. Durango Demons + How To Watch

The Air Academy Kadets will head out on the road to square off against the Durango Demons at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Air Academy will be strutting in after a win while Durango will be coming in after a loss.

Durango better have a healthy lead at halftime, because if Air Academy's game on Saturday is any indication, that's when Air Academy really gets things going. The Kadets put the hurt on Liberty with a sharp 24-0 victory. The Kadets might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by 24 points or more this season.

Cade Ballard

Passing Yards (Career)

10/11/25 @ Liberty	208
09/06/24 vs Sand Creek	143
09/26/25 vs Sierra	140
09/27/24 @ Sierra	121
09/18/25 @ Standley Lake	115

Cade Ballard looked great while leading his team to the win, throwing for 208 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 35 yards. Those 208 passing yards gave him a new career-high. 112 of Ballard's passing yards were hauled in by Noah Edwards.

Air Academy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Sean Kennedy and Damian Chisom.

Meanwhile, Durango faced Palmer Ridge in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Demons lost to the Bears on the road by a 21-7 margin. The matchup marked the Demons' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Air Academy has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 4-3 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 13.4 points on average over those games. As for Durango, their defeat ended a seven-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 5-2.

Air Academy was taken down by Durango 58-0 when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Can the Kadets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.