Football Preview: Viera Hawks vs. Melbourne Central Catholic Hustlers
The Viera Hawks will head out to take on the Melbourne Central Catholic Hustlers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Viera is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 45-8 victory over Tohopekaliga at home. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Eric Nelson was his usual excellent self, throwing for 133 yards and three touchdowns while completing 85.7% of his passes, and also rushing for 37 yards.
Viera's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Robert Aehle and Cooper Keith.
Meanwhile, while Melbourne Central Catholic put up plenty of points on Friday, the same can't be said for Foundation Academy. Melbourne Central Catholic blew past Foundation Academy, posting a 44-0 victory on the road. Given the Hustlers' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 148th, while the Lions are ranked 442nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Brogan Mcnab continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 198 yards and four touchdowns while completing 90.9% of his passes, and also rushing for 38 yards and a touchdown. Grady Bonenberger was another key player, picking up 100 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Melbourne Central Catholic wouldn't let Foundation Academy keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Ezra Engle, Noah Ostrander, and Ostrander picked up one apiece. Ostrander also set a new season high mark in total tackles with seven.
Viera now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Melbourne Central Catholic, they pushed their record up to 3-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Viera has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 158.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Melbourne Central Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 234.5. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Viera against Melbourne Central Catholic in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, as the team secured a 53-7 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Viera since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
