Preview: DeLand Bulldogs vs. Flagler Palm Coast Bulldogs
The DeLand Bulldogs will head out on the road to face off against the Flagler Palm Coast Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. DeLand will be strutting in after a win while Flagler Palm Coast will be coming in after a defeat.
DeLand put the finishing touches on their fourth blowout victory of the season on Friday. They really took it to New Smyrna Beach for the full four quarters, racking up a 41-7 win at home. Given DeLand's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 34th, while New Smyrna Beach is ranked 176th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
DeLand's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Tyron Moore, who rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns, and Javon Ross, who gained 126 total yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Flagler Palm Coast was just a hair shy of victory on Friday and fell 29-28 to Tocoi Creek. Despite 93 more yards than Tocoi Creek, Flagler Palm Coast couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Despite the defeat, Flagler Palm Coast got a solid performance out of Marcus Mitchell, who rushed for 207 yards while picking up 7.7 yards per carry. Mitchell hasn't dropped below 100 rushing yards for three straight games. Mikhail Zysek was in the mix too, providing Flagler Palm Coast with two touchdowns.
The win makes it two in a row for DeLand and bumps their season record up to 7-2. It's not like the team was facing easy opposition over that stretch either, as it included 8-1 University (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 77.8% over those games). As for Flagler Palm Coast, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost five of their last six matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-6 record this season.
Friday's match might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. DeLand has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 249.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Flagler Palm Coast struggles in that department as they've been averaging 179.6 per game. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
DeLand came up short against Flagler Palm Coast when the teams last played back in November of 2022, falling 40-28. Can DeLand avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
