The Golden Demons will head out to face off against the Dakota Ridge Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Golden is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Ponderosa on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Golden took a blow against Ponderosa, falling 42-14. The Demons were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 35-0.
Meanwhile, Dakota Ridge had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18 points) and they went ahead and made it seven on Thursday. They breezed by the Falcons on the road to the tune of 47-7. That looming 47-7 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Eagles yet this season.
Dakota Ridge got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Kellen Behrendsen out in front who threw for 184 yards and a touchdown while completing 88.9% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Landon Kalsbeck helped Behrendsen out on the ground, rushing for 61 yards and a touchdown on only six carries, while also picking up 46 receiving yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Dakota Ridge was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 251 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 200 rushing yards in seven consecutive contests.
Dakota Ridge's defense made their presence known, laying out Crew Gerig. three times. Leading the way was Brady Palladino with two sacks.
Golden's loss dropped their record down to 4-4. As for Dakota Ridge, their victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-1.
Golden and Dakota Ridge were almost perfectly matched up in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, but Golden suffered an agonizing 29-28 defeat. Thankfully for Golden, Blake Palladino (who rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 122 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
