Football Preview: St. John Paul II Panthers vs. Rickards Raiders
The St. John Paul II Panthers will venture away from home to challenge the Rickards Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. St. John Paul II will be strutting in after a victory while Rickards will be coming in after a defeat.
St. John Paul II is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 55-13 win over North Florida Christian on the road. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Panthers have posted since October 26, 2023.
St. John Paul II's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Gavin Ford led the charge by throwing for 234 yards and three touchdowns on only 16 passes, while also punching in a touchdown on the ground. The dominant performance also gave Ford a new career-high in rushing yards. Ethan Braun was another key pass catcher, picking up 149 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, St. John Paul II was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 252 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Rickards entered their match against Choctawhatchee on Thursday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Rickards lost 31-7 to Choctawhatchee. It was the first time this season that the Raiders let down their fans at home.
The win made it two in a row for St. John Paul II and bumps their season record up to 3-4. As for Rickards, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 4-3.
St. John Paul II skirted past Rickards 35-33 when the teams last played back in August of 2022. Does St. John Paul II have another victory up their sleeve, or will Rickards turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
