Football Recap: North Port Comes Up Short Despite Cameron Wilson's Big Defensive Game

North Port had lost three straight on the road, but on Friday they dropped down to 1-7 to make it four. They took a 29-25 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Hardee Wildcats. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Bobcats of the 16-14 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in October of 2024.

When it comes to explaining why North Port lost, don't look at Jax Stoltzfus. Despite the final result, he rushed for 107 yards on only 15 carries, and also threw for 66 yards and one TD.

Even if they lost, North Port's defense still kept up the pressure with four sacks. Cameron Wilson was especially locked on to Hardee's QB and sacked him twice.

As for Hardee, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 3-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 26.0 points over those games.

Dariyon Watson was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 218 yards and three scores while picking up 11.5 yards per carry. He is becoming a predictor of Hardee's success: when he posts at least 80 rushing yards the team is 3-1 (and 0-4 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of David Howell, who rushed for 113 yards on only 12 carries.

North Port wasted no time getting back out on the field and has already played their next game, a 21-14 defeat against Mulberry on the 24th. As for Hardee, they also didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, a 34-0 victory against DeSoto County on the 24th.