The Palmer Ridge Bears will square off against the Broomfield Eagles at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Palmer Ridge will come into the game with an undefeated record on the line.
Palmer Ridge is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They skirted past Mesa Ridge 19-16. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bears have posted since October 11, 2024.
The critical scores for Palmer Ridge came from Zak Crisler, Jake Coyle, and Carter Charron.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Palmer Ridge's defense and their seven sacks. In that department, Charron was the leader with 2.5.
Meanwhile, Broomfield humbled Vista Ridge with a 49-3 victory. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won five matchups by 36 points or more so far this season.
Palmer Ridge better focus on containing Kashus Clarvoe and Slater Saunders as the pair were huge in Broomfield's win. Clarvoe gained 139 total yards and two touchdowns, while Saunders rushed for 45 yards and one TD. The dominant performance also gave Saunders a new career-high in passing yards (119).
Broomfield was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 223 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 155 rushing yards in 14 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Broomfield didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Santana Prayer and Donovan Nesladek. Broomfield received some extra help from Owen Lee, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Palmer Ridge's record now sits at 11-0. As for Broomfield, their record is now 9-2.
Saturday's game might be decided on the ground. Palmer Ridge has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 175.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Broomfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 267 rushing yards. There's a good chance Saturday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Palmer Ridge came up short against Broomfield in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, falling 32-23. Thankfully for the Bears, Colin Torres (who rushed for 158 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.3 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.