Football Preview: Apalachee Wildcats vs. Clarke Central Gladiators
Apalachee is 0-4 against Clarke Central since September of 2014 but things could change on Friday. The Apalachee Wildcats will face off against the Clarke Central Gladiators at 7:30 p.m.
Apalachee is headed into Friday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their 13th straight game dating back to last season back in August. They came up short against Walnut Grove, falling 35-13. The Wildcats were down 35-6 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Meanwhile, the third road matchup was the charm for Clarke Central, as they earned their first road win of the season. They enjoyed a cozy 27-11 win over Jackson County on Friday.
Clarke Central can attribute much of their success to Corey Watkins Jr, who rushed for 203 yards and a touchdown while picking up 10.2 yards per carry, and Hezekiah Millender, who rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Watkins Jr showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 63 yards.
Clarke Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 335 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
Clarke Central's defense made their presence known, laying out RJ Knapp III. four times. Kelin Fanning was especially locked on to Jackson County's QB and sacked him twice. Clarke Central got some further help from Anthony Lonon Jr: he picked up a sack and made eight total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Apalachee's defeat dropped their record down to 0-3. As for Clarke Central, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-2.
Things could have been worse for Apalachee, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 31-17 loss to Clarke Central in their previous matchup back in September of 2021. Thankfully for Apalachee, William Richardson (who rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
