Two dominant signal callers in Timothy Cole and Leon Strawder are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Raines Vikings will take on the Northwestern Bulls at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Raines will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
Raines is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They snuck past Booker with a 28-23 win. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 15th, while the Tornadoes are ranked 66th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Cole, who threw for 192 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 162 yards on only 13 carries. His longest rush was for an impressive 55 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Adron Walker also helped with two touchdowns in total.
Cole was just one part of a punishing run game: Raines was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 211 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 162 rushing yards in three consecutive matches.
| 12/06/24 vs Booker | 5 |
| 11/29/24 vs Bishop Kenny | 6 |
| 11/22/24 vs Wakulla | 5 |
Raines wouldn't let Booker keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Raines can thank Geterius Brown and Troy Butler for forcing both of them. Brown has been hot recently, having also posted five or more total tackles the last three times he's played. Another thorn in Booker's side was King Massey, who picked up a sack and made seven total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Northwestern's offense rose to the challenge against a Commodores defense that boasted an average of only 12.07 points allowed on Friday. Northwestern claimed a resounding 40-0 victory over Eau Gallie. The Bulls might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by 35 points or more this season.
Raines better keep an eye on Strawder. He was instrumental in Northwestern's win, throwing for 290 yards and four touchdowns while completing 79.2% of his passes. Another player making a difference was Nicholas Lennear, who picked up 91 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
The win was the ninth in a row for Northwestern, bringing their record for this year to 11-2. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 44.4 points per game. As for Raines, they pushed their record up to 13-0 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home.
Saturday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Raines has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 164.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Northwestern struggles in that department as they've been averaging 161.1 rushing yards. It's looking like Saturday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Raines and Northwestern were almost perfectly matched up in their previous matchup back in September of 2014, but Raines suffered an agonizing 8-7 loss. Can Raines avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
