Air Academy is 0-5 against Palmer Ridge since October of 2014 but things could change on Friday. The Air Academy Kadets will head out to challenge the Palmer Ridge Bears at 7:00 p.m. Air Academy will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
Air Academy's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They breezed by Sierra on the road to the tune of 37-0. The matchup marked the Kadets' most dominant victory of the season.
Air Academy's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Ben Fernengel, who rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown, and Cade Ballard, who threw for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Air Academy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 233 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 166 rushing yards in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Palmer Ridge entered their game against Mesa Ridge on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Palmer Ridge fell just short of Mesa Ridge by a score of 31-28. The contest marked the Bears' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Despite their defeat, Palmer Ridge saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Avier Elvira, who rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries, was perhaps the best of all. Palmer Ridge also got help from Magnus Newman, who showed off his sure hands for 90 receiving yards.
Air Academy now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Palmer Ridge, their loss ended a nine-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 4-1.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Air Academy has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 217.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Palmer Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 290.6. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Air Academy was dealt a bruising 55-0 defeat at the hands of Palmer Ridge in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Elvira, who rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Now that Air Academy knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
