Just like the weather Friday night, Vista Ridge football went cold.

Led by a lethal offense, Palmer Ridge dominated all night to defeat the Wolves 41-7 on the road. The Wolves narrowly avoided a shutout with a touchdown by Aiden Vanaman in the last four minutes of the contest. 

It would have been the Bears’ (8-0) third shutout of the season, but Palmer Ridge coach Zach Carlton doesn’t think about things like that. 

“We just really focus on taking it one week at a time and getting the best out of our kids week in and week out,” Carlton said. 

With Friday’s win, Palmer Ridge, which is No. 2 in 4A,  is now 27-0 on the road and is 4-0 away this season. Its last loss on the road was Nov. 7, 2019, when it dropped a contest to Discovery Canyon 56-49. 

The Wolves were 4-0 at home before Friday, and it is their first loss at home since Sept. 27, 2024. 

The Bears opened scoring late in the first quarter with a touchdown on first and goal by Jake Coyle after a pair of fourth down conversions. A fumble by the Wolves gave the ball right back to Palmer Ridge, who scored its second touchdown in the first play of the second quarter for a quick 14-0 lead. 

Just a few minutes later, Bears quarterback Cole Harris made a deep pass to wide receiver Magnus Newman on fourth-and-5 for a touchdown to extend their lead to 21-0. 

“I think our defense played well tonight, got the ball back to our offense pretty quickly there,” Carlton said. “Offense did a great job in the first half, really the first quarter there … we only had three defensive snaps. Lots of complementary football in the first quarter, which carried into the second half. Just proud of our effort overall.”

Vista Ridge had an opportunity to score late in the second quarter but a scramble on fourth down by senior quarterback Colton Camba was short for a turnover on downs. The Bears took advantage, and a pass from Harris to Carter Charron scored their fourth touchdown on the next drive. 

A fourth down conversion and substitution penalty on the Wolves helped the Bears end the third quarter with a touchdown and 24-0 lead. Palmer Ridge opened the fourth quarter with their last touchdown of the game, a 20-yard run by wide receiver Eli Stewart, and allowed a Vista Ridge touchdown to miss the shutout. 

Carlton doesn’t have a clear answer as to why they are so dominant on the road, but he recognizes that this year’s team can do something special. 

“We still have a lot to clean up, but we are just trying to get 1% better each day,” Carlton said.