The Fossil Ridge Panthers will challenge the Denton Broncos at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Fossil Ridge is coming into the contest on a five-game losing streak.
Fossil Ridge is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Azle on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Panthers lost 42-19 to the Hornets. The Panthers were down 35-13 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.
Fossil Ridge's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Peyton Cundiff, who gained 128 total yards and a touchdown, and Benjamin Riley, who picked up 91 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Meanwhile, Denton lost to Birdville at home by a 49-31 margin on Friday. The loss continues a trend for the Broncos in their meetings with the Hawks: they've now lost four in a row.
Fossil Ridge will need to focus on slowing down Terrance Lopez, one of several Denton players who made an impact when they last played. He threw for 119 yards and a pair of TDs, and also rushed for 36 yards and one score. Lopez's passing game has become a key predictor of Denton's success: the team is 2-1 when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 0-3 otherwise. Dmontrez Trez Rogers was another key player, rushing for 110 yards on only nine carries.
Denton's defeat dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Fossil Ridge, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.
Fossil Ridge came out on top in a nail-biter against Denton when the teams last played back in October of 2024, sneaking past 42-40. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Lopez, who rushed for 75 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also threw for 262 yards and one TD. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Panthers still be able to contain Lopez? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
