The Eagle River Wolves's homestand will continue as they prepare to take on the North Pole Patriots at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Eagle River is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alaska's top teams: Lathrop, who was ranked 14th in their home state at the time (Eagle River was ranked sixth). Eagle River took their contest at home on Saturday with ease, bagging a 27-0 victory over Lathrop. The result was nothing new for the Wolves, who have now won three games by 27 points or more so far this season.
Michael Roschi continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 126 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries. Backing up that air attack was Garrett Bird, who rushed for 84 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Eagle River was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 257 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lathrop only rushed for 93.
Meanwhile, North Pole entered their tilt with Chugiak on Friday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They walked away with a 21-10 win over the Mustangs.
North Pole got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Braiden Martin out in front who threw for 116 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 36 yards. Landon Ritter was Martin's top target, picking up 51 receiving yards and a touchdown.
North Pole wouldn't let Chugiak keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. North Pole can thank Marcus Champ Iii and Zach Denny for forcing both of them.
Eagle River now has a winning record of 3-2. As for North Pole, their win bumped their record up to 4-1.
Saturday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Eagle River has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 249.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like North Pole struggles in that department as they've been averaging 204.6. It's looking like Saturday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything went Eagle River's way against North Pole when the teams last played back in August of 2023 as Eagle River made off with a 21-0 victory. Will Eagle River repeat their success, or does North Pole have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
