Mesa Ridge is 0-3 against Palmer Ridge since September of 2021 but things could change on Friday. The Mesa Ridge Grizzlies will square off against the Palmer Ridge Bears at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Mesa Ridge took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They walked away with a 40-28 win over Heritage.
It was another big night for Bryce Riehl, who threw for 194 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Trevon Salas handled things on the ground, rushing for 105 yards and a rushing touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Mesa Ridge was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 220 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Palmer Ridge put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Longmont, posting a 49-14 victory on the road. Given the Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado football rankings (they are ranked seventh, while the Trojans are ranked 118th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Carson Campbell continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 149 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 passes, while also rushing for 58 yards and a touchdown. Zeki Wacker was Campbell's top target, rushing for 34 yards and a touchdown, while also picking up 61 receiving yards.
Palmer Ridge's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged five passes before it was all said and done. Jake Coyle led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself.
Mesa Ridge pushed their record up to 3-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Palmer Ridge, their record is now 4-0.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Mesa Ridge has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 188.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Palmer Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 306.3. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Mesa Ridge might still be hurting after the 43-20 loss they got from Palmer Ridge in their previous meeting back in August of 2023. Thankfully for Mesa Ridge, Derek Hester (who rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
