The Idalia Wolves will square off against the Arickaree Bison at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Idalia has five straight victories, Arickaree has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Idalia is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Colorado's top teams: Stratton, who was ranked tenth at the time (Idalia was ranked second). The Wolves took their game on Friday with ease, bagging an 80-32 win over the Eagles. Fans of the Wolves have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Idalia found their leader in sophomore Broderick Kite, who rushed for 32 yards and two TDs, and also threw for 83 yards and one touchdown while completing 83.3% of his passes. Kite also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making ten total tackles and defending one pass. Bode Monahan was in the mix too, providing Idalia with two scores.
Idalia was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 407 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 159 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Arickaree played a tough contest on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by Peetz and fell 50-20. The game marked the Bison's lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Idalia will have to contain Austin Wright as he made an impact in Arickaree's last game. He rushed for 255 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.2 yards per carry. Wright didn't just play on offense: he also picked up two sacks and made 11 total tackles.
Idalia's victory bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Arickaree, their loss dropped their record down to 2-4.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Idalia has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 293.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Arickaree struggles in that department as they've been averaging 299.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Idalia beat Arickaree 24-14 in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Do the Wolves have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bison turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.