Football Preview: DeLand Bulldogs vs. Flagler Palm Coast Bulldogs
The DeLand Bulldogs will head out on the road to face off against the Flagler Palm Coast Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
DeLand will head into Friday's game after some sweet revenge against Lake Gibson: DeLand couldn't quite topple Lake Gibson on Friday, but it was still a huge improvement compared to the 21-point loss they took when the two last played. DeLand put the hurt on Lake Gibson with a sharp 42-21 win. The victory was some much needed relief for the Bulldogs as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Marceles Carey was his usual excellent self, rushing for 143 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.4 yards per carry, and also picking up 40 receiving yards. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Another player making a difference was Gardner Nordman, who threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 passes.
Meanwhile, Flagler Palm Coast waltzed into their match on Friday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They really took it to the Pirates for the full four quarters, racking up a 68-26 win. The matchup was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Bulldogs had established a 20 point advantage.
Flagler Palm Coast's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Braylyn Simmons led the charge by rushing for 125 yards and two touchdowns on only five carries, while also picking up 55 receiving yards and a touchdown. Simmons got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 82 yards. Hayden Hayes was another key player, throwing for 369 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 16.0 yards per attempt.
Flagler Palm Coast's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 44.6 points per game. As for DeLand, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Everything came up roses for DeLand against Flagler Palm Coast in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, as the team secured a 58-23 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Flagler Palm Coast's Marcus Mitchell, who rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.1 yards per carry. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will DeLand still be able to contain Mitchell? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
