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Prep football matchups
Published 10:48pm Thursday, October 1, 2009Hillcrest at No. 4 Verndale
Quick hits: Hillcrest is coming off a 53-20 drubbing of Ashby…The Comets (3-1) start a four-week span that includes three roads games…The 53 points scored last week by the Comets was the second most over the past five seasons…Verndale (4-0), which sits atop the Pheasant Conference North, averages exactly 42 points per game…Last week, the Pirates had little trouble with state-ranked Bertha-Hewitt, beating the Bears 32-8…Hillcrest suffered a 22-18 loss to B-H on Sept. 11…Hands-down, this will be the stiffest test for the Comets the remainder of the year as their three other opponents on the schedule have won a combined two games…This one could go either way. Look for a high-scoring affair.
Pelican Rapids at Warroad
Quick hits: The winless Vikings (0-4) came close to beating West Central last week, losing in the final 15 seconds…Pelican’s offense has scored no more than two touchdowns in any game…The Vikings are currently in the midst of the program’s longest losing streak since 2003…Warroad is coming off a 42-14 loss to Breckenridge… After winning their first two games, the Warriors (2-2) have lost two straight by a combined 74 points…This one should be close. The Warriors are struggling and the Vikings have confidence.
Underwood at Ashby
Quick hits: These two teams come in with a combined 1-7 record…Underwood (1-3) defeated Eagle Valley 20-6 last week…Ashby’s defense has struggled in the last two games, allowing 105 points in the span…The Rockets’ offense has averaged roughly 12 points per game…This could be the last chance for the Arrows to come away with a victory as their final three games are against state-ranked opponents…Underwood beat Ashby 47-6 last season…This one will be close, but look for Underwood to pull away against a struggling Ashby defense.
Breckenridge at West Central Area
Quick hits: The Knights (3-1) pulled off a thrilling 18-14 victory last week against winless Pelican Rapids, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 12 seconds on the clock…Breckenridge (2-2) has won two games in a row after starting the season 0-2…The Cowboys are led by quarterback Walker Busse, who ran for three touchdowns last week…Breckenridge beat WCA 21-7 in 2008…Both teams are hot, but something has to give.West Central could get a much-needed boost from the home crowd. Look for the Knights to win in what could be another thrilling contest.
United North Central at OTC
Quick hits: The Bulldogs lost to No. 10 Osakis last week 26-14…Both of OTC’s defeats have come against state-ranked teams…UNC (2-2) has lost two games by a mere 10 points combined…The Warriors, who average 32 points per game, beat the Bulldogs last season 35-14…This game — which will be played in Henning — could go down to the wire, but look for OTC’s stout running attack to wear down the Warriors in the end.
