Kimberly and Gooding are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2015, but not for long. The Kimberly Bulldogs will face off against the Gooding Senators at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Gooding is hoping to do what Buhl couldn't on Friday: put an end to Kimberly's winning streak, which now stands at four games. Kimberly blew past Buhl 42-7 on the road. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 28-0.
A big part of Kimberly's victory came down to the chemistry between Macraye Bruning and his top target Joe Barrett. Bruning threw for 194 yards and three touchdowns while Barrett picked up 94 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Bruning is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last three games he's played dating back to last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Kimberly was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 203 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 197 rushing yards in three consecutive matches.
Kimberly didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Ryker Larson and AJ Walker.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Gooding, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They were the clear victor by a 34-13 margin over Wood River on Friday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Senators needed considering they were shutout in their previous contest.
It was another big night for Rio Curtis, who rushed for 274 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.5 yards per carry. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 110.7 rushing yards per game. Another player making a difference was Eli Esterbrook, who picked up 92 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Kimberly is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a massive bump to their 5-3 record this season. As for Gooding, their win bumped their record up to 5-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Kimberly has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 161 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Gooding struggles in that department as they've been averaging 216.1. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Kimberly took their victory against Gooding when the teams last played back in October of 2023 by a conclusive 31-8. The rematch might be a little tougher for Kimberly since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
