Football Preview: Mitchell Mustangs vs. Land O' Lakes Gators
Mitchell is 7-1 against Land O' Lakes since September of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Mitchell Mustangs will play host again on Friday to welcome the Land O' Lakes Gators, where kickoff is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. Mitchell knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past three games -- so hopefully Land O' Lakes likes a good challenge.
Last Friday, Mitchell didn't have too much trouble with Tampa Catholic at home as they won 31-14.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Corey Simms and Joshua Balloon Jr. Simms had a great game and rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Balloon Jr was balling out in the loss, rushing for 111 yards and a touchdown, while also picking up 35 receiving yards.
Mitchell wouldn't let Tampa Catholic keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. Mitchell can thank Bishop Taylor and Cody Allen for forcing all of them. Allen also set a new season high mark in total tackles with nine. Mitchell got some further help from Dylan Leighton: he made 12 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Mitchell was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 256 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Tampa Catholic only rushed for 102.
Meanwhile, Land O' Lakes was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They were just a hair shy of victory and fell 20-19 to Leesburg.
Despite the defeat, Land O' Lakes had strong showings from Xavier Clemente, who picked up 132 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Tj Morrow, who rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown. Clemente got the majority of those receiving yards when he pulled down a pass and took off for a gain of 89 yards.
Land O' Lakes' defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Mason Clarke, Patrick Monger, and Monger picked up one apiece. Monger has been hot recently, having also posted at least one defended passe the last four times he's played.
Mitchell pushed their record up to 5-0 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Land O' Lakes, their loss dropped their record down to 1-4.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Mitchell has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 181.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Land O' Lakes struggles in that department as they've been averaging 156. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Mitchell took their victory against Land O' Lakes in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 by a conclusive 31-10. Will Mitchell repeat their success, or does Land O' Lakes have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
