Football Preview: Land O' Lakes Gators vs. Mitchell Mustangs
Land O' Lakes is 1-7 against Mitchell since September of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Land O' Lakes Gators will square off against the Mitchell Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. That match will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Tj Morrow and Corey Simms.
Land O' Lakes is headed into Monday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Friday. They and Leesburg were almost perfectly matched up, but Land O' Lakes suffered a 20-19 loss.
Land O' Lakes' defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Xavier Clemente, who picked up 132 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Morrow, who rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown. Clemente torched the secondary when he pulled down a catch that went for 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 is also on a roll when it comes to defended passes, as he's now defended at least one in the last four games he's played.
Meanwhile, Mitchell put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They strolled past Tampa Catholic with points to spare, taking the game 31-14.
Mitchell's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Simms led the charge by rushing for 124 yards and three touchdowns. Bryce Backus handled things on the ground, rushing for 83 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: 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.
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. Dylan Leighton was another major factor on D, making 12 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Land O' Lakes' loss dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Mitchell, they pushed their record up to 5-0 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season.
Monday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Land O' Lakes has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 156 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mitchell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 181.2. It's looking like Monday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Land O' Lakes suffered a grim 31-10 defeat to Mitchell in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Simms, who rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.5 yards per carry. Now that Land O' Lakes knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
