Dakota Ridge has won nine straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Ponderosa has won nine straight on the road also dating back to last season, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Dakota Ridge Eagles will welcome the Ponderosa Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Dakota Ridge is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They breezed by Loveland to the tune of 49-21. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado football rankings (they are ranked tenth, while the Red Wolves are ranked 52nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Dakota Ridge's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Sam Callas, who rushed for 97 yards and three touchdowns on only nine carries. Another back making a difference was Landon Kalsbeck, who rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries.
Dakota Ridge was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 363 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2023.
Dakota Ridge wouldn't let Loveland keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Dakota Ridge can thank Coby Stewart and Troy Mcmullin for forcing both of them. Mcmullin is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least five every time he's taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Ponderosa against Grand Junction on Saturday as the squad secured a 42-14 victory. The match was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 35-7.
It was another big night for De'Alcapon Veazy, who rushed for 169 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.9 yards per carry. The team also got some help courtesy of Troy McWhorter, who gained 89 total yards and two touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Ponderosa's defense and their five sacks. Leading the way was Ryan Tongren with two. Ponderosa got some further help from Caden Miller: he made 15 total tackles and defended a pass.
Ponderosa is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 39.8 points per game. As for Dakota Ridge, their win bumped their record up to 10-1.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Dakota Ridge has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 244.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Ponderosa struggles in that department as they've been averaging 205.1. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Dakota Ridge against Ponderosa in their previous matchup back in October, as the team secured a 36-7 victory. Will Dakota Ridge repeat their success, or does Ponderosa have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
