The Ballantyne Ridge Wolves are taking a road trip to square off against the Palisades Pumas at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Last Friday, Ballantyne Ridge was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 19-13 to East Mecklenburg. While the Wolves had to settle for second, they closed the game well in the third quarter, where they outscored the Eagles 6-0.
Although Ballantyne Ridge took the loss, they still got scores from Caleb Owens and Ty'Barious Young.
Meanwhile, Palisades hadn't done well against Ardrey Kell recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Pumas sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 14-11 win over the Knights.
Ballantyne Ridge better keep an eye on Cole Hough. He was instrumental in Palisades' win, throwing for 280 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 71.4% of his passes.
Palisades' run defense was locked in: Ardrey Kell could only muster 2.5 yards per carry. While two picked up at least 11 total tackles, Clarence Drakeford stood above the rest. He picked up a sack and made 11 total tackles. Palisades didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged eight.
Palisades' defense didn't let Jared Curtis, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for 3.5 sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Drakeford, Noah Bolden, and Jameus McRae, who each picked up one sack apiece. Drakeford was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 11 total tackles.
Palisades' victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-2. Those road wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 6.0 points on average over those games. As for Ballantyne Ridge, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 1-5.
Ballantyne Ridge was taken down by Palisades 48-0 in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Can the Wolves avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
