The Dakota Ridge Eagles will take on the Ponderosa Mustangs 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.
Dakota Ridge is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Colorado's top teams: Cherokee Trail, who was ranked 24th in their home state at the time (Dakota Ridge was ranked 11th). Dakota Ridge took down Cherokee Trail 31-13 on Friday. Winning may never get old, but the Eagles sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Dakota Ridge's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Trent Moench, who rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown, and also caught a touchdown. Kellen Behrendsen was another key signal caller, throwing for 178 yards and two touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes.
Dakota Ridge was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 223 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 223 rushing yards in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Ponderosa at home against Chaparral on Thursday as the squad secured a 48-7 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Mustangs.
Ponderosa found their leader in underclassman Colter Espinoza, who threw for 165 yards and two touchdowns while completing 72.7% of his passes, and also rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown. Another rusher making a difference was De'Alcapon Veazy, who rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns.
Dakota Ridge pushed their record up to 4-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Ponderosa, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Dakota Ridge has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 230 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Ponderosa struggles in that department as they've been averaging 156.6. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Dakota Ridge strolled past Ponderosa in their previous meeting back in September of 2019 by a score of 20-6. Does Dakota Ridge have another victory up their sleeve, or will Ponderosa turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
