Akron hasn't had much luck against Haxtun recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Rams will take on the Fightin' Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Akron comes in on 12 and Haxtun on five.
Akron is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They put the hurt on Sanford with a sharp 39-16 win. The result was nothing new for the Rams, who have now won nine matchups by 23 points or more so far this season.
Jace Curtis
| 11/22/25 vs Sanford | 256 |
| 10/31/25 @ Merino | 77 |
| 08/28/25 vs Calhan | 70 |
| 10/18/25 @ Dayspring Christian Academy | 62 |
| 09/14/24 @ Fowler | 58 |
A big part of Akron's victory came down to the chemistry between Kolten Randel and his top target Jace Curtis. Randel threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns on only 17 passes while Curtis picked up 256 receiving yards and a pair of scores. Those 256 receiving yards gave Curtis a new career-high. Jakzon Livesay helped Randel out on the ground, rushing for 70 yards and one TD.
Akron didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Livesay and Randel.
Meanwhile, Haxtun faced McClave in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. The Fightin' Bulldogs simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Cardinals 50-8. The Fightin' Bulldogs are also no stranger to big wins: their blowout was the 11th game they've won by 20+ points this season.
Haxtun had a senior duo take command as Colin Cone threw for 195 yards and four touchdowns on only 11 passes and Zach Statz rushed for 159 yards and a pair of scores on only 14 carries. Cone also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, picking up a sack and making one tackle. A healthy portion of Cone's aerial production (143 yards to be exact) went to Chase Goddard, who also brought in three receiving touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Haxtun's defense and their six sacks. Austin Knox was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up four himself. Haxtun got some further help from Coleman Firme: he made ten total tackles (2.0 for loss) and snagged an interception.
Akron's win bumped their record up to 12-0. As for Haxtun, their victory bumped their record up to 11-1.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Akron has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 189.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Haxtun struggles in that department as they've been averaging 295.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Akron didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Haxtun when the teams last played back in October, but they still walked away with a 28-24 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Statz, who rushed for 125 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 7.4 yards per carry. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Rams still be able to contain Statz? There's only one way to find out.
