Football Preview: Newberry Panthers vs. Palatka Panthers
The Newberry Panthers will venture away from home to square off against the Palatka Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Newberry's defense has only allowed 17.8 points per game this season, so Palatka's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Newberry took a loss when they played away from home on September 6th, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed two weeks ago. They claimed a resounding 48-0 win over Keystone Heights at home. The high-scoring effort was just what the Panthers needed considering they were shutout in their previous contest.
It was another big night for Kaleb Woods, who rushed for 194 yards and four touchdowns on only 11 carries. His longest rush was for an incredible 81 yards. Elijah Beckford also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Newberry was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 297 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2023.
One reason for the win was Newberry's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for ten sacks. Malachi Lancaster and Jarquez Carter were the leaders of the group effort as each produced three apiece. Carter also set a new season high mark in sacks with three.
Meanwhile, Palatka's offense rose to the challenge against a Sharks defense that boasted an average of only 17.4 points allowed on Friday. Palatka came out on top against Nature Coast Tech by a score of 34-26. The victory was familiar territory for the Panthers who have now won four matchups in a row.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Palatka to victory, but perhaps none more so than Justin Fells, who rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance gave Fells a new career-high in rushing yards. Another rusher making a difference was Lawrence Evans, who rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries.
The win got Newberry back to even at 2-2. As for Palatka, their record is now 4-1.
Newberry was able to grind out a solid victory over Palatka in their previous matchup back in September of 2021, winning 37-30. Does Newberry have another victory up their sleeve, or will Palatka turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
