Football Preview: North Pole Patriots vs. Eagle River Wolves
The North Pole Patriots will challenge the Eagle River Wolves at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. North Pole is coming into the match hot, having won their last four games.
North Pole is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alaska's top teams: Chugiak, who was ranked 13th in their home state at the time (North Pole was ranked eighth). North Pole came out on top against Chugiak by a score of 21-10 on Friday.
North Pole got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Braiden Martin out in front who threw for 116 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 36 yards. Landon Ritter was Martin's top target, picking up 51 receiving yards and a touchdown.
North Pole was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 215 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 172 rushing yards in four consecutive matchups.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to North Pole's defense and their 5.5 sacks. Marcus Champ Iii was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up twohimself.
Meanwhile, Eagle River didn't have done well against Lathrop recently (they were 1-6 in their previous seven matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. Eagle River claimed a resounding 27-0 win over Lathrop at home. The result was nothing new for the Wolves, who have now won three games by 27 points or more so far this season.
It was another big night for Michael Roschi, who rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries. Eagle River also got a significant boost from Garrett Bird, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 84 yards.
North Pole's record is now 4-1. As for Eagle River, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 3-2.
Saturday's contest might be decided in the trenches. North Pole has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 204.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Eagle River struggles in that department as they've been averaging 249.8. It's looking like Saturday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
North Pole might still be hurting after the 21-0 loss they got from Eagle River in their previous meeting back in August of 2023. Can North Pole 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
