After two games on the road, Monticello is heading back home. They will welcome the Dove Creek Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Last Friday, Monticello lost to Norwood on the road by a 32-14 margin. The contest marked the Buckaroo's lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Meanwhile, Dove Creek is ranked highly in their home state and last Saturday they took on another highly ranked team in the form of Escalante. Dove Creek claimed a resounding 50-6 win over Escalante on the road. The Bulldogs' victory was nothing new given the team hasn't lost yet this season.
Dove Creek got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Josh Kibel out in front who rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries, and also threw for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Another back making a difference was Teagan Larimore, who rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Dove Creek was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 249 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 178 rushing yards in seven consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Dove Creek's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Nicholas Aragon and Sheldon Gardner. Another thorn in Escalante's side was Myles Ives, who picked up two sacks and made eight total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Monticello's loss dropped their record down to 3-2. As for Dove Creek, their victory bumped their record up to 3-0.
Monticello was dealt a bruising 58-18 defeat at the hands of Dove Creek in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. Thankfully for Monticello, Gage Buffington (who rushed for 217 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries, and also picked up 83 receiving yards and a touchdown) 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.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
