The Neumann Celtics will head out on the road to square off against the Carrollwood Day Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Neumann's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last five matchups.
Neumann made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Community School of Naples, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Celtics fell just short of the Seahawks by a score of 38-35 on Friday. The Celtics haven't had much luck with the Seahawks recently, as the team has come up short the last seven times they've met.
Despite the loss, Neumann had strong showings from Jayden Petit, who picked up 301 receiving yards and three touchdowns, and Peyton Frontino, who threw for 345 yards and four TDs while picking up 14.4 yards per attempt. Petit showed off some serious burst, lighting up the secondary with a catch for 63 yards.
Meanwhile, Carrollwood Day put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Lakeland Christian, posting a 55-21 win. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Patriots' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 73rd, while the Vikings are ranked 215th).
Carrollwood Day found their leader in sophomore Kameron Battle, who rushed for 298 yards and three scores while picking up 8.8 yards per carry, and also picked up 49 receiving yards. Those 298 rushing yards set a new season-high mark for Battle. Myles Mcdonald was another key signal caller, throwing for 254 yards and one touchdown while completing 80% of his passes.
Carrollwood Day was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 441 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 238 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Neumann's defeat dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Carrollwood Day, their victory bumped their record up to 4-0.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Neumann has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 281.8 passing yards per game. Carrollwood Day, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 335 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Everything came up roses for Neumann against Carrollwood Day in their previous meeting back in November of 2019, as the squad secured a 41-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Celtics since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
