Week 9 Preview: Dakota Ridge Eagles vs Golden Demons

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 9 pits two high powered teams up against each other. As the Dakota Ridge Eagles travel to Golden, to face off against the Demons in a highly anticipated conference matchup. The Demons will be looking for a bounce back game after their loss against Ponderosa last week. They have a tough challenge ahead of them against the undefeated Eagles, making this out to be a good one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both these teams have a potent rushing attack with quarterbacks who can sling the rock. Both quarterbacks can not only attack defenses with their arms, but also their feet. Let's dive into the preview. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Dakota Ridge</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles tend to rely on the passing game more than rushing. They have a stud senior QB Kellen Behrendson who's thrown for 129/165 for 1825 yards, 19 TDs, 2 INTs, with 48 carries for 259 yards and 3 touchdowns. He's slippery out of the pocket and will rush for first downs, or launch the ball with his very good throw power downfield. <em>Washington State</em> commit [player_tooltip player_id='547631' first='Landon' last='Kalsbeck'] demands attention on both sides of the ball. The stud two way player has 66 carries for 544 yards and 8 touchdowns with 13 receptions for 135 yards and 3 touchdowns. On defense, he has 75 total tackles (51 solo, 24 assisted), 11 TFL, 6 sacks, 6 QB pressures, 1 INT, 4 FF, 2 FR. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dakota Ridge has a lockdown secondary with standout corner [player_tooltip player_id='1625165' first='Dimitri' last='Spano'], versatile defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1112989' first='Blake' last='Bishop'] and ball hawk [player_tooltip player_id='1970044' first='Seth' last='Gregory'], leading the team with 4 INTs. Spano scares opposing offenses with his presence, not getting thrown at a lot. This allows other DBs to shine such as [player_tooltip player_id='1970044' first='Seth' last='Gregory'] and Bishop. The Eagles have a complete team on both sides of the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Golden</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Demons are opposite of the Eagles, relying more on rushing than passing. They have a stud quarterback as well in [player_tooltip player_id='1549755' first='Thatcher' last='Matthews']. The 5'11 165-pound dual threat QB has thrown 89/145 for 1060 yards, 61.4% completion rate with 14 TDs, 5 INT, 87 carries for 559 yards and 7 touchdowns. Matthews uses his very good athletic ability paired with very good scramble ability to get first downs with his feet. Very quick release and maintains good accuracy at all 3 levels. Matthews is also the team's leading rusher. Ethan Bonafede has been Matthews' favorite target throughout the season. The 5'10 160-pound receiver has 42 receptions for 481 yards and 6 touchdowns. Bonafede uses his very good athletic ability to make defenders miss at the line of scrimmage or downfield. He plucks the ball out of the air, and is consistently making big catches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the defensive side, senior OLB Vincent Novello leads the team in tackles and interceptions. Measuring in at 5'11 175-pounds, he has 79 total tackles (49 solo, 30 assisted), 3 TFL, 2 INT, and 2 FF. He's a hard hitter down hill linebacker that plays through the whistle down after down. [player_tooltip player_id='755537' first='Colin' last='Meier'] RB/LB has been another standout on that defense. Very good run support and tackling. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Final Thoughts</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've got a great matchup on hands that will directly affect playoff implications moving forward. I predict this will be a 20 point contest from both sides, that will be determined how the QBs command their respective offenses and how each secondary reacts to the potent passing attacks from each team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->