Football Preview: Mount Dora Hurricanes vs. Dunnellon Tigers
After each having a week off, the Mount Dora Hurricanes and the Dunnellon Tigers will dust off their jerseys to face off against one another at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Mount Dora is looking to tack on another W to their six-game streak on the road dating back to last season.
Mount Dora is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering The Villages Charter just ended the team's six-game winning streak two weeks ago. They were just a hair shy of victory and fell 27-26 to the Buffalo. The Hurricanes gained 88 more yards on the day, but it was the Buffalo that made the best use of them.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Tymir Gaines and Maleek Williams. Williams had a solid game and rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries. Meanwhile, Gaines did his best for the losing side, rushing for 136 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Dunnellon came tearing into two weeks ago's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 30.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 28-6 win. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matches by 20 points or more this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Dunnellon to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jeffery Vickers, who rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown. Malachi Bullock made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Dunnellon was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 204 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 177 rushing yards in four consecutive contests.
Dunnellon wouldn't let Baker County keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Dunnellon can thank Gavin Whitehead and Tony Tanner for forcing both of them.
Dunnellon's record is now 7-3. As for Mount Dora, their loss dropped their record down to 8-2.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Mount Dora has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 183.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Dunnellon struggles in that department as they've been averaging 182.7. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Mount Dora lost to Dunnellon on the road by a decisive 48-32 margin in their previous meeting back in September of 2016. Can Mount Dora avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
