Mesa Ridge hasn't had much luck against Palmer Ridge recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Mesa Ridge Grizzlies will square off against the Palmer Ridge Bears at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Mesa Ridge took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They came out on top against Heritage by a score of 40-28.
Bryce Riehl continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 194 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 100 yards and a touchdown. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Trevon Salas handled things on the ground, rushing for 105 yards and a rushing touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Mesa Ridge was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 220 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Palmer Ridge put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. They claimed a resounding 49-14 win over Longmont on the road. Given the Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado football rankings (they are ranked seventh, while the Trojans are ranked 118th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Carson Campbell was his usual excellent self, throwing for 149 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 passes, while also rushing for 58 yards and a touchdown. Zeki Wacker was Campbell's top target, rushing for 34 yards and a touchdown, while also picking up 61 receiving yards.
Palmer Ridge's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged five passes before it was all said and done. Jake Coyle led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself.
Mesa Ridge pushed their record up to 3-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Palmer Ridge, their record is now 4-0.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Mesa Ridge has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 188.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Palmer Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 305. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Mesa Ridge might still be hurting after the 43-20 loss they got from Palmer Ridge in their previous matchup back in August of 2023. Thankfully for Mesa Ridge, Derek Hester (who rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
