The Aspen Skiers are taking a road trip to square off against the Middle Park Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Aspen's defense has only allowed 16.8 points per game this season, so Middle Park's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Aspen will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up six points last Friday, then bounced right back against Kent Denver on Saturday. Aspen blew past Kent Denver 34-13. The Skiers' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
It was another big night for Dylan Mika, who rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.9 yards per carry. He didn't just play on offense: he also picked up four sacks, forced a fumble, and made four total tackles. Chile Smart got in on the action as well, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Aspen was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 314 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2023.
One reason for the win was Aspen's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for seven sacks. Mika was especially locked on to Kent Denver's QB and sacked him four times. That's the most rushing yards Mika has posted since back in September of 2023.
Meanwhile, Middle Park was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They had to suffer through a 52-7 loss at the hands of Wheat Ridge. The Panthers were already down big by the end of the third quarter and they stayed that way after failing to score in the fourth.
The win got Aspen back to even at 2-2. As for Middle Park, their loss dropped their record down to 1-3.
Everything came up roses for Aspen against Middle Park in their previous meeting back in August of 2017, as the squad secured an 80-50 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Middle Park's Blake Weimer, who rushed for 205 yards and seven touchdowns while picking up 9.8 yards per carry, and also picked up 65 receiving yards. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Aspen to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
