Football Preview: Buchholz Bobcats vs. Pace Patriots
Buchholz is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Pace is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Buchholz Bobcats will host the Pace Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Buchholz is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 42-21 margin over Evans. Given the Bobcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 29th, while the Trojans are ranked 130th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
A big part of Buchholz's victory came down to the chemistry between Trace Johnson and his top target Dj Hicks. Johnson threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns on only ten passes while Hicks picked up 152 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Hicks' longest reception was for an impressive 61 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per catch total.
Buchholz's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB four times. Evan Walker was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up three sacks himself.
Meanwhile, Pace won against Milton on November 1st with 49 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. Pace took their contest with ease, bagging a 49-21 win over Oviedo.
Ben Tyner continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 152 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries, while also throwing for 167 yards and three touchdowns on only seven passes. Those 152 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Makael Williams, who rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries.
Pace was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 295 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Oviedo only rushed for 75.
Buchholz's victory bumped their record up to 8-3. As for Pace, their win bumped their record up to 10-1.
Friday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Johnson and Tyner. Johnson just won't slow down this season and has thrown 21 touchdowns while averaging 250.6 passing yards per game. Tyner has been a dominant force too and has thrown 13 touchdowns while averaging 92.8 passing yards per game.
Buchholz won a game that couldn't have been any closer when the teams last played back in November of 2022, slipping by Pace 35-34. Will Buchholz repeat their success, or does Pace have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
