Football Preview: Buchholz Bobcats vs. Bartram Trail Bears
Buchholz and Bartram Trail are an even 5-5 against one another since November of 2015, but not for long. The Buchholz Bobcats will square off against the Bartram Trail Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Bartram Trail took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Buchholz, who comes in off a win.
Buchholz is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 63-22 win over Tocoi Creek at home. Given the Bobcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 29th, while the Toros are ranked 188th), the result last Monday wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Trace Johnson, who threw for 350 yards and two touchdowns while completing 81% of his passes, and also punched in a rushing score. He has become a key player for Buchholz: the team is undefeated when he posts at least 250 passing yards, but 1-3 otherwise. Dj Hicks did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 91 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, a victory for Bartram Trail just wasn't in the cards on Friday as the team wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They were dealt a 48-21 defeat at the hands of St. Augustine. The Bears have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Bartram Trail might have lost, but man, Arthur Lewis IV was a machine: he rushed for 109 yards and three touchdowns. Lewis IV is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 109 every time he's taken the field this season.
Even though they lost, Bartram Trail was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 243 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 180 rushing yards in seven consecutive contests.
The win made it two in a row for Buchholz and bumps their season record up to 5-3. As for Bartram Trail, they now have a losing record at 3-4.
The upcoming match will be a clash of competing strengths. Buchholz has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 283 passing yards per game. Bartram Trail, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 275.1 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Buchholz took their victory against Bartram Trail in their previous matchup back in November of 2023 by a conclusive 37-17. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Bartram Trail's Riley Trujillo, who threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Buchholz to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
