The Grace Grizzlies will take on the Kendrick Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Grace is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They put the hurt on Prairie with a sharp 40-16 victory. The win was nothing new for the Grizzlies as they're now sitting on four straight.
The critical scores for Grace came from Carter Mecham, Carter Kimball, Bryant Moss, Kade Kimball, Parker Yost, and Chase Smith.
Grace's run defense was locked in: Prairie could only muster 1.4 yards per carry. The team can thank Cooper Andersen for the heroic effort on defense: he. Grace's ground attack was stronger, having averaged four.
Grace didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Kimball and Kade.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Kendrick against Notus on Friday as the team secured an 80-6 victory. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Idaho football rankings (they are ranked first, while the Pirates are ranked 27th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Grace better keep an eye on Maddox Kirkland. He was instrumental in Kendrick's win, throwing for 159 yards and six touchdowns on only 12 passes, while also rushing for 42 yards and one score. Those six passing touchdowns gave Kirkland a new career-high. Blake Morgan did his part for the team as well, scoring a TD off of 52 receiving yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Kendrick's defense and their six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Kolt Koepp and Nathan Kimberling, who racked up all six sacks between them. Kimberling has been hot, having posted at least one sack the last six times he's played.
Grace's record is now 9-1. As for Kendrick, their record now sits at 10-0.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Grace has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 163.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Kendrick struggles in that department as they've been averaging 211.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Grace was taken down by Kendrick 52-6 when the teams last played back in October of 2023. Can the Grizzlies avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
