Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only the Dakota Ridge Eagles walked away with it. They blew past Thomas Jefferson 52-28. Considering Dakota Ridge has won six contests by more than 23 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Dakota Ridge was led to victory by Blake Palladino and Landon Kalsbeck. Palladino rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries, while Kalsbeck gained 204 total yards and three touchdowns. Kalsbeck was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 55 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Stephen Price, who rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries.
Defeat or not, Thomas Jefferson got some senior leadership from Dimitri Haralambopoulos who rushed for 114 yards while picking up 7.1 yards per carry and Doren Sacha who picked up 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Xavier Allen made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
The win was the fifth in a row for Dakota Ridge, bringing their record for this year to 8-3. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 46.4 points per game. As for Thomas Jefferson, their loss dropped their record down to 10-2.
Dakota Ridge will head out on the road to face off against Erie at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. One thing working in Erie's favor is that they have now posted big point totals in their last six matches. Thomas Jefferson does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
