Football Preview: Mitchell Mustangs vs. Tampa Catholic Crusaders
The Mitchell Mustangs will face off against the Tampa Catholic Crusaders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Mitchell will be looking to keep their five-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.
Mitchell is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing East Lake: they outscored them in every quarter. Mitchell blew past East Lake 42-22 on Friday. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 118th, while the Eagles are ranked 275th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mitchell can attribute much of their success to Corey Simms, who gained 145 total yards and four touchdowns, and Cayden Thomas, who threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns while completing 85.7% of his passes. Simms is also on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season. Rj Peabody was Thomas' top target, picking up 106 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Tampa Catholic didn't have too much trouble with University Christian on the road on Friday as they won 25-8.
Tampa Catholic's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Joshua Balloon Jr, who rushed for 57 yards and a touchdown, and also caught a touchdown. Lucas Ruan was another key player, throwing for 229 yards and three touchdowns while completing 76.9% of his passes.
Mitchell's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Tampa Catholic, the victory also got them back to even at 2-2.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Mitchell has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 162.5 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Tampa Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 53. How will they fare against such a dominant running game? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
