The Dove Creek Bulldogs will take on the Monticello Buckaroo at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Dove Creek will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
Dove Creek is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Escalante, who was ranked 18th at the time (Dove Creek was ranked 14th). Dove Creek took their match on the road last Saturday with ease, bagging a 50-6 win over Escalante.
Dove Creek's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Josh Kibel led the charge by rushing for 104 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries, while also throwing for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Dove Creek also got a significant boost from Teagan Larimore, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 82 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Dove Creek was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 249 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 178 rushing yards in seven consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Dove Creek'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 Nicholas Aragon and Sheldon Gardner. Another thorn in Escalante's side was Myles Ives, who picked up two sacks and made eight total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Monticello ended up a good deal behind Norwood on Friday and lost 32-14. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Buckaroo came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked first in Utah, while the Mavericks are ranked 26th in Colorado).
Dove Creek's victory bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Monticello, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-2.
Everything came up roses for Dove Creek against Monticello in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 as the squad secured a 58-18 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Monticello's Jay Mcdonald, who rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries, and also threw for 94 yards and a touchdown. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Dove Creek to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
