Football Preview: Ponte Vedra Sharks vs. Fleming Island Golden Eagles
The Ponte Vedra Sharks will head out to take on the Fleming Island Golden Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Ponte Vedra's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They blew past Menendez, posting a 40-0 victory at home. Given the Sharks' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 34th, while the Falcons are ranked 174th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Drew Price had an outrageously good game as he threw for 148 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown. He showed off some serious burst, turning on the afterburners on one carry for 60 yards. Ponte Vedra also got help from Cam Tietze, who showed off his sure hands for 80 receiving yards.
Another reason for the win was Ponte Vedra's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for seven sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Ryker Kemp and Martin Geary, who racked up five sacks between them.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Fleming Island). They claimed a resounding 49-0 win over Orange Park on the road. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Golden Eagles just coasted through the last quarter.
Cibastian Broughton was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 61 yards and three touchdowns, and also threw for 176 yards and a touchdown on only nine passes. Trace Burney was Broughton's top target, picking up 129 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The victory was the third in a row for Ponte Vedra, bringing their record for this year to 3-1. As for Fleming Island, the win got them back to even at 2-2.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Ponte Vedra has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 180 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Fleming Island struggles in that department as they've been averaging 186.2. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Ponte Vedra lost to Fleming Island on the road by a decisive 20-6 margin in their previous meeting back in October of 2021. Can Ponte Vedra avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
