The Dover Dragons will challenge the Monticello Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Dover has three straight victories, Monticello has 11 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Dover will bounce into Thursday's matchup after beating Spackenkill, who they had gone 0-7 against in their seven prior meetings. The Dragons blew past the Spartans 34-10 on Friday. Considering the Dragons have won three contests by more than 23 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Conor Drnek
| 10/24/25 @ Spackenkill | 156 |
| 10/17/25 vs O'Neill | 122 |
| 10/11/25 @ Burke Catholic | 146 |
| 10/04/25 @ Saugerties | 75 |
| 09/26/25 @ Chester-Seward | 75 |
| + 3 more games |
Dover's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Conor Drnek, who rushed for 156 yards and two TDs while picking up 9.2 yards per carry, and Matt Ogana, who rushed for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That's the most rushing yards Drnek has posted since back in September. Vinny Colombo got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Dover was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 283 rushing yards. They are a perfect 5-0 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
Dover didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Marquise Swartz Vann, Colombo, and Brody Kuehn picked up one apiece. Colombo got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Monticello played a tough game on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They came up short against Highland, falling 32-6. The Panthers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 32-0.
Dover's win bumped their record up to 6-2. As for Monticello, their loss dropped their record down to 0-8.
Thursday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Dover has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 228.8 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Monticello, though, as they've been averaging only 69.2 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Dover was able to grind out a solid victory over Monticello in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, winning 31-18. Will the Dragons repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
