The Port St. Joe Tiger Sharks will take on the Fort White Indians at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 898 yards in their previous games.
Port St. Joe is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They walked away with a 33-20 victory over Holmes County. Winning may never get old, but the Tiger Sharks sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Jayden Curry continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 13 carries, while also throwing for 161 yards and two TDs while completing 76.9% of his passes. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making three total tackles and defending two passes.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Port St. Joe was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 312 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 162 rushing yards in 12 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Another reason for the win was Port St. Joe's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Eric Smith, Asher Peacock, and Camron Miles, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Fort White). They never let Wildwood get on the board and left with a 59-0 win two weeks ago. The team's explosion on offense also rewarded the Indians with their most commanding win of the season.
A big part of Fort White's victory came down to the chemistry between JAYDEN JACKSON and his top target JOHN L LAWSON. JACKSON rushed for 67 yards and one score on only five carries while LAWSON rushed for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 14 carries. JACKSON's passing game has become a key predictor of Fort White's success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 3-4 otherwise.
Fort White didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. ELIJAH GARDNER led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself. Another thorn in Wildwood's side was CILLIAN SHEEHAN, who picked up two sacks and made three total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Fort White, racking up 11 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of JACKSON, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Port St. Joe now has a winning record of 6-5. As for Fort White, their record is now 7-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Port St. Joe has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 248.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Fort White struggles in that department as they've been averaging 166.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
