Football Game Preview: Hawthorne Hornets vs. Branford Buccaneers + Official Tickets

Two dominant signal callers in Richard Roundtree Jr and Trent Land are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. After both having extra time off, the Hawthorne Hornets and the Branford Buccaneers will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Branford will be up against a hot Hawthorne squad: the team just extended their winning streak to four. The Hornets took down Melbourne Central Catholic 34-16 back in October. Given the Hornets' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 35th, while the Hustlers are ranked 179th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Derryek Gillins

Rushing Yards

10/24/25 @ Melbourne Central Catholic	129
10/03/25 vs Bayshore	100
08/29/25 @ Newberry	85
09/05/25 vs Florida State University High School	68
10/16/25 @ Dunnellon	65

Darian Bowie had another great game (as he tends to do), picking up 115 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He showed off some serious burst, lighting up the secondary with a catch for 54 yards. Derryek Gillins handled things on the ground, rushing for 129 yards and a rushing touchdown.

Meanwhile, Branford took their contest two weeks ago with ease, bagging a 49-6 victory over Hamilton County. Considering the Buccaneers have won six matchups by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Hawthorne better keep an eye on Maurice Vought. He was instrumental in Branford's win, picking up 101 receiving yards and a pair of scores. They are 6-1 when Vought posts 100 or more receiving yards, but 1-2 otherwise.

Branford didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Alex Deese and TC Smith. Deese got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

Hawthorne's win bumped their record up to 7-1. As for Branford, their victory bumped their record up to 7-3.

Everything came up roses for Hawthorne against Branford in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, as the team secured a 56-0 win. Will the Hornets repeat their success, or do the Buccaneers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.