After each having a week off, the Eastside Rams and the South Sumter Raiders will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Eastside will aim to continue their five-game streak of scoring more points each matchup than the last.
Eastside is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped last Friday as they easily beat Gainesville 63-0. The Rams have beaten the Hurricanes the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Hurricanes has come to flipping the script.
Nelson Tambling
| 10/31/25 vs Gainesville | 6 |
| 10/24/25 vs North Marion | 4 |
| 09/12/25 @ Trinity Catholic | 2 |
| 09/05/25 @ Buchholz | 2 |
| 10/17/25 @ Sandalwood | 1 |
Nelson Tambling was nothing short of spectacular: he threw for 174 yards and six touchdowns while completing 91.7% of his passes. Those six passing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Javaris Gardner, who rushed for 134 yards and one TD on only 12 carries.
Eastside was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 236 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 181 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
Eastside didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Tramayne Montague, Malicah Williams, Demarco Daniels, and Ja'Marian Reaves picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, South Sumter came up short against Calvary Christian last Friday and fell 36-26.
Eastside will need to focus on slowing down Timothy Gaynor, one of several South Sumter players who made an impact when they last played. He rushed for 92 yards and one score, and also picked up 30 receiving yards.
South Sumter has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-4 record this season. As for Eastside, their victory bumped their record up to 8-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Eastside has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 154.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like South Sumter struggles in that department as they've been averaging 198 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Eastside didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against South Sumter in their previous matchup back in October, but they still walked away with a 27-21 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Gaynor, who rushed for 116 yards and one touchdown. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Rams still be able to contain Gaynor? There's only one way to find out.
