It’s hard to find unbeaten matchups this late in the season, but that’s what we’ve got in this one as two 6-0 squads get set to do battle.
Kimball Area is ranked No. 8 in last week’s Associated Press Class 2A poll. The Cubs are holding teams to a measly five points per game, only behind state title contender and No. 2-2A Minneapolis North (6-0) at four and a half.
This big matchup against BOLD almost lost some buzz before Kimball Area eked out a 12-6 win at Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (4-2). In their previous four games, the Cubs had averaged 38 points per game and won by an average of 16 points or more.
Kimball Area beat BOLD 41-28 last year at home en route to a perfect 8-0 regular season and Mid State - Blue district title. The title is likely on the line again with Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (5-1) the only other team within a game.
The Cubs also would love to win this game to stay in the hunt with Eden Valley-Watkins (6-0) for the top seed in the Class 2A, Section 5 playoffs. EV-W knocked off Kimball in the 2021 section semifinals.
BOLD is the top dog in the Class 1A AP poll. The Warriors went 9-2 last season with their only regular-season loss to Class 2A Kimball Area and in the Section 5 championship game to eventual state runner up Minneota.
This year, the Warriors are beating foes by more than 26 points per game and are allowing just eight points a night, sixth-best in Class 1A and tops in Section 5. BOLD’s closest result was a 26-6 win over Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (4-2), a team Kimball Area had a tougher time with last week. Lakeview (5-1) and Dawson-Boyd (5-1) are lurking in the section standings, but a win for BOLD would all but wrap up the top seed a week early.