Todd County has gone 4-0 against Pine Ridge recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Todd County Falcons will challenge the Pine Ridge Thorpes. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Todd County took a loss when they played away from home last Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They enjoyed a cozy 42-28 win over Cheyenne-Eagle Butte/Tiospaye Topa.
Todd County got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Tylen Valandra out in front who picked up 121 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown. The bulk of those receiving yards came from one huge play: a catch that gained an incredible 61 yards. Another signal caller making a difference was Chris Ellert, who threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 passes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Todd County was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 239 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 165 rushing yards in 15 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Todd County wouldn't let Cheyenne-Eagle Butte/Tiospaye Topa keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Kendrik Easter was the leader in that area as all came courtesy of his dominant performance.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Pine Ridge). They claimed a resounding 70-18 win over St. Francis Indian on the road. Considering the Thorpes have won four matches by more than 25 points this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Todd County's victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-1. As for Pine Ridge, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 4-1.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Todd County has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 267.2 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Pine Ridge has preferred to attack from the air: they average 363.2 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Thursday? There's only one way to find out.
Todd County took their victory against Pine Ridge in their previous matchup back in September of 2023 by a conclusive 40-18. The rematch might be a little tougher for Todd County since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
