The Dakota Ridge varsity football team was victorious on Thursday, October 10, 2024, with a 42-25 win against Heritage High School. As of October 10, the Eagles now have a winning streak of six games and are determined to keep that streak alive.
Although the student section was smaller than usual, Dakota Ridge still secured a flawless win. By the end of the first quarter, Heritage led 12-0, but the Eagles turned that right around with the first touchdown scored by Nathan Rodriguez (21). Dakota Ridge came back in the second quarter to take the lead 28-12.
“I think because it was a small crowd, I feel like, usually as a sports player, you’re kinda locked into the game, and if there’s not a huge crowd or a crowd that’s not doing a ton of stuff, you kinda just block it out,” DRHS senior Simon Peterson said. “So I don’t think it affected the team too much. I’m sure that the fact that some people were there and supporting them on a Thursday night gave them a little boost.”
By the end of the third quarter Dakota still maintained a 28-18 lead.
“All the work we put in the previous week, the practice and the film, just coming together, it was kind of a personal game for some of the guys,” DRHS senior player Asa Davison (1) said. “So being able to stand with them and play our best really helped. It was tough, but we ended up shutting them down.”
In the state of Colorado, Dakota Ridge is ranked 9th in the 4A league, while Heritage is ranked 29th. These teams haven’t competed against each other since 2019.
By the mid 4th quarter, many left the stadium, knowing that the Dakota Ridge Eagles had a victory to take home.
“I think just being there and seeing people and connecting, it’s always fun to do, and especially seeing us winning is always a fun thing,” Peterson said.
The next Dakota Ridge varsity football game is Thursday, October 17th, 2024, at 7 p.m. against Highlands Ranch at Halftime Help Stadium.
