The Gaither Cowboys will venture away from home to take on the Hillsborough Terriers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Gaither has eight straight victories, Hillsborough has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Gaither is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 54-3 win over Cypress Creek. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Cowboys' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 28th, while the Coyotes are ranked 439th).
Gaither can attribute much of their success to Ryan Browning, who threw for 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only eight passes, and Owen Smith, who rushed for 56 yards and one TD on only seven carries. Joshua Balloon was in the mix as well, providing the Cowboys with one score.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Gaither's defense and their three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Jacob Aquino, Jonah Hannah, and Adarius Norton, who each picked up one sack apiece. Gaither received some extra help from Daivon Kindred, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 12 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Bryan Hamilton, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Hillsborough played a tough contest on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They took a blow against Jesuit, falling 69-6. The Terriers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 62-0.
Gaither's victory bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Hillsborough, their loss dropped their record down to 2-7.
Everything came up roses for Gaither against Hillsborough in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, as the team secured a 46-8 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cowboys since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
