Football Recap: Land O' Lakes Gators vs. Nature Coast Tech Sharks
Land O' Lakes had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They walked away with a 42-31 win over the Nature Coast Tech Sharks on Friday. With that victory, the Gators brought their scoring average up to 28.1 points per game.
Tj Morrow was his usual excellent self, rushing for 209 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 8.7 yards per carry. He was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 59 yards.
Land O' Lakes wouldn't let Nature Coast Tech keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Connor Purcell was the leader in that area as all came courtesy of his dominant performance. He also set a new season high mark in total tackles with 13. Mason Clarke was another major factor on D, picking up 0.5 sacks and making 13 total tackles (1.5 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Land O' Lakes was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 214 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 154 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
When it comes to explaining why Nature Coast Tech lost, don't look at Jackson Hoyt. Despite the final result, he threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 13.6 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown on only six carries. A healthy portion of that aerial production (100 yards to be exact) went to Jacorrion Owens, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Land O' Lakes' win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-5. As for Nature Coast Tech, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-4 record this season.
Land O' Lakes will square off against Wiregrass Ranch at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Wiregrass Ranch is coming into the matchup with four straight victories at home, so Land O' Lakes will have to stop a squad with plenty of momentum. As for Nature Coast Tech, they will have a little extra prep time after the loss as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Hernando at 7:30 p.m. on November 1st.
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