The DeRidder Dragons will square off against the Westlake Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Last Friday, DeRidder was able to grind out a solid victory over Newton, taking the game 46-36. Given the Dragons' advantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 99th in Louisiana, while the Eagles are ranked 361st in Texas), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Connor Rushford was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 188 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 11.1 yards per carry. Reed Williams also helped out as he racked up 100 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, Westlake put another one in the bag last Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They claimed a resounding 42-14 win over Washington-Marion on the road. Fans of the Rams have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Ryan Allen had an outrageously good game as he picked up 144 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in September of 2023. Another player making a difference was Kevin Rideau Jr, who rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Westlake was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 343 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 221 rushing yards in three consecutive contests.
The victory made it two in a row for DeRidder and bumps their season record up to 2-1. As for Westlake, their record now sits at 3-0.
Everything came up roses for DeRidder against Westlake in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, as the team secured a 27-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for DeRidder since the squad 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
