ThunderRidge is 0-5 against Valor Christian since October of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The ThunderRidge Grizzlies will head out on the road to face off against the Valor Christian Eagles at 7:00 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
After only seven points in their last match, ThunderRidge made sure to put some points up on the board against Highlands Ranch on Friday. ThunderRidge took their contest on the road with ease, bagging a 38-8 victory over Highlands Ranch. ThunderRidge pushed the score to 31-0 by the end of the third, a deficit Highlands Ranch cut but never quite recovered from.
ThunderRidge can attribute much of their success to Evan Olds, who rushed for 116 yards and three touchdowns.
ThunderRidge's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB 5.5 times. The heavy lifting was done by Nick Besser and sloan schilling who racked up four sacks between them.
Meanwhile, Valor Christian faced Rock Canyon in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Valor Christian came out on top against Rock Canyon by a score of 30-20 on Friday. The victory was nothing new for Valor Christian as they're now sitting on three straight.
Valor Christian's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Blake Kirschke, who rushed for 38 yards and two touchdowns. Gage Bachman did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 90 receiving yards and a touchdown.
ThunderRidge's victory on Friday also bumped their record up to 4-4. As for Valor Christian, their win was their seventh straight at home (dating back to last season), bumping their overall record up to 4-4.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. ThunderRidge has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 186.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Valor Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 168.6 per game. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
ThunderRidge came up short against Valor Christian in their previous meeting back in October of 2022, falling 19-7. Can ThunderRidge avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
