After each having a week off, the Peetz Bulldogs and the Arickaree Bison will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Peetz comes in on nine and Arickaree on three.
Peetz is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Colorado's top teams: Otis, who was ranked 14th at the time (Peetz was ranked ninth). Peetz enjoyed a cozy 37-22 victory over Otis two weeks ago. That's two games straight that Peetz has won by exactly 15 points.
Meanwhile, Arickaree never let their opponents score two weeks ago. They took their matchup with ease, bagging a 64-0 win over North Park. Considering the Bison have won five games by more than 38 points this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Peetz better keep an eye on Austin Wright. He was instrumental in Arickaree's win, rushing for 117 yards and one touchdown on only six carries, while also throwing for nine yards and one TD. Wright didn't just play on offense: he also picked up two sacks and made eight total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Arickaree was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 296 rushing yards. They are 5-2 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
Arickaree didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jorge Ramos and Luis Machado. Ramos also punched in three rushing touchdowns, which is notable because Arickaree is 4-1 when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 1-4 otherwise. Ramos got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Peetz's victory bumped their record up to 9-0. As for Arickaree, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Peetz has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 240.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Arickaree struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 275.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Peetz against Arickaree in their previous matchup back in September, as the team secured a 50-20 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Wright, who rushed for 255 yards and three scores while picking up 10.2 yards per carry. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Bulldogs still be able to contain Wright? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
