It was a good run, but Empire unfortunately witnessed the end of their seven-game winning streak dating back to last season on Friday. They had to suffer through a 43-6 loss at the hands of the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks. The loss was the Ravens' first of the season.
When it comes to explaining why Empire lost, don't look at Ngonkra Fuangunyi. Despite the final result, he rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown. Fuangunyi's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 103 rushing yards dating back to last season.
Empire's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Nikolas Bejarano and Adam Armstrong.
Ironwood Ridge was led to victory by Jaiden Martinez and Isaac Hyde. Martinez rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries, while Hyde rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. The dominant performance gave Martinez a new career-high in rushing yards.
Having lost for the first time this season, Empire fell to 2-1. As for Ironwood Ridge, they pushed their record up to 2-1 with that win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season.
Empire will take on Pueblo at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Ironwood Ridge, they will square off against Douglas at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Ironwood Ridge is facing Douglas at the right time seeing as Douglas is stuck on a three-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
