The Palmer Terrors will venture away from home to face off against the Sand Creek Scorpions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Palmer, yet to win a game, are hoping to taste some of the success that has characterized Sand Creek's (thus far) undefeated season.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 43-6, which was the final score in Palmer's tilt against Liberty last Thursday.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Sand Creek's strategy against Widefield on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Scorpions blew the Gladiators out of the water with an 80-35 final score. That 45 point margin sets a new team best for the Scorpions this season.
Sand Creek's win came from a few key players Palmer will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ethan Mangrum, who rushed for 249 yards and one score while picking up 15.6 yards per carry, and also picked up 65 receiving yards and one TD. Those 249 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Treven Rick was another key player, rushing for 48 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Sand Creek's run defense was locked in: Widefield could only muster 2.8 yards per carry. While 11 picked up at least two total tackles, Jayden Lyons stood above the rest. He rushed for 77 yards and one TD, and also picked up 40 receiving yards. Sand Creek didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 12.7.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Sand Creek, racking up 18 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Mangrum, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Palmer's loss dropped their record down to 0-4. As for Sand Creek, their record is now 4-0.
Palmer took a serious blow against Sand Creek in their previous meeting back in September of 2024, falling 56-0. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Mangrum, who rushed for 147 yards and three scores on only eight carries, and also threw for 56 yards and one touchdown. Now that the Terrors know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
