Dakota Ridge is 5-0 against Standley Lake since September of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Dakota Ridge Eagles will head out on the road to face off against the Standley Lake Gators at 7:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Dakota Ridge has three straight victories, Standley Lake has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Dakota Ridge can now show off four landslide victories after their most recent contest on Friday. They breezed by Grand Junction at home to the tune of 55-21. Given Dakota Ridge's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado football rankings (they are ranked 28th, while Grand Junction is ranked 114th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Dakota Ridge to victory, but perhaps none more so than Blake Palladino, who rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries, and also threw for 178 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 passes. Landon Kalsbeck was another key contributor, gaining 151 total yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Standley Lake fell victim to Bear Creek's stalwart defense on Thursday and couldn't make it onto the board. They received a tough blow as they fell 19-0 to the Bears.
Dakota Ridge's victory was their third straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 6-3. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 43.7 points per game. As for Standley Lake, they now have a losing record at 4-5.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Dakota Ridge has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 234.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Standley Lake struggles in that department as they've been even better at 249.1 per game. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Dakota Ridge against Standley Lake in their previous matchup back in October of 2022 as the squad secured a 49-6 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Dakota Ridge since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
