The Dakota Ridge Eagles will face off against the Cherokee Trail Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Dakota Ridge's offense will try to repeat the strong performance it gave on Friday, when they got past Pomona's usually-dominant defense. Dakota Ridge blew past Pomona 34-12. The game marked the Eagles' most dominant win of the season so far.
Landon Kalsbeck was his usual excellent self, rushing for 119 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries. He didn't just play on offense: he also forced a fumble and made nine total tackles (1.0 for loss). Another rusher making a difference was Sam Callas, who gained 69 total yards and a touchdown.
Dakota Ridge wouldn't let Pomona keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Kalsbeck, Jack Offerdahl, and Offerdahl picked up one apiece. Kalsbeck's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 118 rushing yards. Another thorn in Pomona's side was Blake Bishop, who made three total tackles (1.0 for loss) and defended a pass in addition to snagging an interception which he returned one-yard for a touchdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Dakota Ridge was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 242 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 242 rushing yards in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Cherokee Trail). They blew past Rocky Mountain 37-6 at home on Friday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Cougars needed considering they were shutout in their previous match.
Cherokee Trail's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Tyson Smith led the charge by throwing for 190 yards and two touchdowns, while also punching in a touchdown on the ground. Noah Collins helped Smith out on the ground, rushing for 87 yards and two touchdowns.
Dakota Ridge's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Cherokee Trail, the win got them back to even at 2-2.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
