Football Game Preview: Gateway Panthers vs. St. Cloud Bulldogs

The Gateway Panthers will venture away from home to challenge the St. Cloud Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Gateway's defense has only allowed 11.3 points per game this season, so St. Cloud's offense will have their work cut out for them.

Gateway's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. Everything went their way against Liberty as they made off with a 20-0 win.

The critical scores for Gateway came from Dory Thimote, Nydrell Thigpen, and Aristotle Span Jr.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for St. Cloud, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They came out on top against Lake Nona by a score of 25-17 on Friday.

Gateway better keep an eye on Jeremiah Lattier. He was instrumental in St. Cloud's win, throwing for 317 yards and one TD, while also punching in one rushing score.

Special teams was a major factor in the game for St. Cloud, racking up 11 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Zeus Howard, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.

St. Cloud's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Dashawn Reese, Hank Williams, and Dominic Cammarasana, who each picked up one sack apiece. Reese was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 14 total tackles (2.0 for loss).

Gateway's record is now 2-4. As for St. Cloud, their record now sits at 4-2.

Gateway lost to St. Cloud on the road by a decisive 20-6 margin in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.