Palmer Ridge is a perfect 5-0 against Air Academy since October of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Bears will head out on the road to challenge the Kadets at 7:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Palmer Ridge lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Mesa Ridge, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Friday's matchup. The Bears simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat the Grizzlies 35-7. The 35-point effort marked the Bears' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Cole Harris
| 09/26/25 @ Mesa Ridge | 74 |
| 08/29/25 vs Ponderosa | 66 |
| 10/04/24 vs Air Academy | 52 |
| 09/19/25 vs Longmont | 12 |
| 09/12/25 vs Lewis-Palmer | 11 |
Palmer Ridge can attribute much of their success to Jackson Mabe, who rushed for 103 yards and a pair of scores, and Cole Harris, who rushed for 74 yards and one TD. Those 74 rushing yards gave Harris a new career-high. Zak Crisler made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Palmer Ridge was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 229 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 152 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Palmer Ridge didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Michael Toth and Crisler. Crisler got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Air Academy over Sierra in every quarter on their way to victory on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Kadets blew the Stallions out of the water with a 43-6 final score. The Kadets haven't had any issues with the Stallions recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Air Academy's win came from a few key players Palmer Ridge will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Cade Ballard, who threw for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only nine passes, and also rushed for 42 yards and one TD. Max Schlichter was another key player, rushing for 65 yards and a pair of scores.
Air Academy now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Palmer Ridge, their win bumped their record up to 5-0.
Everything came up roses for Palmer Ridge against Air Academy when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 46-14 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Kadets' Ben Fernengel, who rushed for 125 yards and one touchdown. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Bears to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
