Football Game Preview: Charlotte Fightin' Tarpons vs. Mariner Tritons + How To Watch

The Charlotte Fightin' Tarpons will square off against the Mariner Tritons at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Charlotte will be strutting in after a win while Mariner will be coming in after a defeat.

Charlotte will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up six points last Friday, then bounced right back against Island Coast on Friday. The Fightin' Tarpons blew past the Gators 45-13. The Fightin' Tarpons haven't had any issues with the Gators recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive victory against them.

Kamran Curliss

Receiving Touchdowns (Career)

10/03/25 @ Island Coast	2
08/29/25 @ North Port	1
10/18/24 @ Mariner	1
09/20/24 @ Fort Myers	1

A big part of Charlotte's win came down to the chemistry between Kamran Curliss and his top target Jackson Hay. Curliss picked up 61 receiving yards and two touchdowns while Hay picked up 74 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. Those two receiving touchdowns gave Curliss a new career-high.

One reason for the win was Charlotte's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Nathan Slater was especially locked on to Island Coast's QB and sacked him twice. Slater is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least six every time he's taken the field this season. Charlotte got some further help from Trenton Curliss: he made 11 total tackles (6.0 for loss) and defended two passes.

Meanwhile, after soaring to 34 points the game before, Mariner was a bit more limited in their matchup on Friday. They lost 30-7 to Cape Coral. While losing is never fun, the Tritons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 397th, while the Seahawks are ranked 190th).

Mariner has also traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 2-4 record this season. As for Charlotte, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.

Charlotte was able to grind out a solid win over Mariner in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, winning 35-28. Will the Fightin' Tarpons repeat their success, or do the Tritons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.