Football Preview: Florence Gophers vs. Coolidge Bears
The Florence Gophers will head out on the road to challenge the Coolidge Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Florence has five straight wins, Coolidge has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Florence's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Rio Rico 43-0 at home. That looming 43-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Gophers yet this season.
It was another big night for Logan Stenson, who rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries, and also threw for 138 yards and a touchdown on only 13 passes. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 68 yards. Another player making a difference was Malik Smith, who rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Florence was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 347 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2023.
Florence's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged six passes before it was all said and done. Kj Watts led the group effort, picking up three of those interceptions all by himself.
Meanwhile, Coolidge fell victim to Combs and their airtight defense last Friday. They took a blow against the Coyotes, falling 57-0. That makes it the first time this season the Bears have let down their home crowd.
Florence pushed their record up to 5-0 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Coolidge, their loss dropped their record down to 0-4.
Florence strolled past Coolidge in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 by a score of 30-12. The rematch might be a little tougher for Florence since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
