The Arickaree Bison will head out on the road to challenge the Idalia Wolves at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Arickaree has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Idalia will arrive with five straight wins.
Arickaree is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Peetz on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Bison had to suffer through a 50-20 loss at the hands of the Bulldogs. The Bison were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 30-6.
Arickaree might have lost, but man, Austin Wright was a machine: he rushed for 255 yards and three TDs while picking up 10.2 yards per carry. Wright showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 54 yards.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Idalia). They really took it to Stratton for the full four quarters, racking up an 80-32 victory. With the Wolves ahead 52-16 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Idalia found their leader in sophomore Broderick Kite, who rushed for 32 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also threw for 83 yards and one TD while completing 83.3% of his passes. Kite also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making ten total tackles and defending one pass. Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Bode Monahan, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Idalia was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 407 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 159 rushing yards in three consecutive contests.
Arickaree's loss dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Idalia, their win bumped their record up to 5-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Arickaree has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 299.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Idalia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 293.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Arickaree came up short against Idalia in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, falling 24-14. Can the Bison avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
