Football Preview: Bell Bulldogs vs. Aucilla Christian Warriors
Bell hasn't had much luck against Aucilla Christian recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Bell Bulldogs will be playing in front of their home fans against the Aucilla Christian Warriors at 7:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Bell comes in on three and Aucilla Christian on seven.
Bell will bounce into Friday's matchup after beating Interlachen, who they had gone 0-5 against in their five prior meetings. Bell strolled past Interlachen with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 42-28.
Landin Williams was his usual excellent self, rushing for 267 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.2 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards.
Bell didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jorge Gonzalez and RJ Leffler. Gonzalez is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last six games he's played dating back to last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Bell was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 349 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Aucilla Christian didn't have too much trouble with Lighthouse Private Christian Academy at home on Friday as they won 27-12. The 27-point effort marked the Warriors' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Aucilla Christian's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Landon Larosa, who rushed for 61 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Larosa also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making two total tackles and defending two passes. Cooper Wiles was Larosa's top target, picking up 43 receiving yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 59 yards.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Aucilla Christian's defense and their eight sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Elliott Cheshire and Aiden La Rosa, who racked up six sacks between them.
Bell's win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-2. As for Aucilla Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 7-0.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Bell has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 241.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Aucilla Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 182.6. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Bell ended up a good deal behind Aucilla Christian when the teams last played back in October of 2023, losing 31-14. Will Bell have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
