The Menendez Falcons will square off against the Bishop Kenny Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Menendez will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up six points back in September, then bounced right back against Westside last Friday. The Falcons put the hurt on the Wolverines with a sharp 33-8 win. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Falcons' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 146th, while the Wolverines are ranked 399th).
Dominick Torchio was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 112 yards and two scores. Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Tony Evans, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Menendez proved: they limited Westside to a paltry 1.7 yards per carry. The team can thank Bennett Cornelison for the heroic effort on defense: he. Menendez's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.23 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 6.07 on average over their last five games.
Special teams also played a big role in the game for Menendez, adding 14 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Evans, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Bishop Kenny won against Parker last Friday with 56 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. The Crusaders beat Rickards by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 56-14. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 49-7.
Bishop Kenny's win came from a few key players Menendez will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Gavin Hawkins, who threw for 272 yards and six touchdowns on perfect 10-for-10 passing. Those 272 passing yards gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was James Davis III, who picked up 148 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.
The victory made it two in a row for Bishop Kenny and bumps their season record up to 4-2. Those wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 28 points in those games. As for Menendez, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.
Menendez came up short against Bishop Kenny when the teams last played back in October of 2024, falling 17-10. Will the Falcons have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
