The Rider Raiders had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 20.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They took their matchup at home with ease, bagging a 49-20 victory over Palo Duro. The result was nothing new for Rider, who have now won six matchups by 20 points or more so far this season.
Kenji Johnson continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 193 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries. Johnson's longest rush was for an incredible 75 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Joe Castles, who threw for 105 yards and three touchdowns.
Despite the defeat, Palo Duro saw an underclassman step up: Darien Lewis threw for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
Rider's victory bumped their record up to 6-2. As for Palo Duro, they now have a losing record at 3-4.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Rider will square off against Plainview at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Plainview will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Texas Rankings (they are ranked 418th, while Rider is ranked 112th). As for Palo Duro, they will head out on the road to face off against Wylie at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
