Football Game Preview: Merritt Island Mustangs vs. Viera Hawks + Official Tickets

The Merritt Island Mustangs are taking a road trip to challenge the Viera Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Merritt Island is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Carrollwood Day just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 24-14 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Patriots. The matchup marked the Mustangs' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Meanwhile, Viera strolled past Melbourne with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 24-7. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Hawks.

A big part of Viera's victory came down to the chemistry between Duke Butler and his top target Eric Nelson. Butler rushed for 115 yards while Nelson gained 173 total yards. The dominant performance also gave Nelson a new career-high in receiving yards (30).

Viera didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Melbourne to a completion percentage of just 42.1%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from three players: Dimitri Jean, Shaun Hartman Jr, and Sebastian Gonzalez, who each logged two passes deflected. Viera hasn't an opponent to post a completion percentage of 0.64 or higher in three consecutive games.

Merritt Island's defeat dropped their record down to 5-3. As for Viera, their record now sits at 6-3.

Merritt Island skirted past Viera 17-14 when the teams last played back in November of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Mustangs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.