Football Game Preview: Lake Wales on Home-Turf

By Team Reports Sep 3, 2024, 3:34pm

Football Preview: Lake Wales Highlanders vs. Auburndale Bloodhounds

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After starting their season with two straight games on the road, Lake Wales is finally coming home. They will look to take advantage of their home-field as they take on the Auburndale Bloodhounds at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Friday, Lake Wales didn't have too much trouble with Ridge Community on the road as they won 27-8. Given the Highlanders' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 58th, while the Bolts are ranked 247th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Lake Wales' win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Kaneilius Purdy, who picked up 84 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Purdy got the majority of those yards when he pulled down a pass and and took off for a gain of56 yards. Another signal caller making a difference was Brycen Levidiotis, who threw for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

Lake Wales' defense stepped up as well, laying out Amire Hall. four times. Leading the way was Walter Davis Iii and his two sacks. He also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, picking up two sacks and making nine total tackles (3.0 for loss). Dontavius Purdy was another major factor on D, making nine total tackles (3.0 for loss).

Meanwhile, while Auburndale put up plenty of points last Friday, the same can't be said for Ambassadors Christian Academy. Auburndale simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Ambassadors Christian Academy 55-0 at home. The win was some much needed relief for the Bloodhounds as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak dating back to last season.

Everything came up roses for Lake Wales against Auburndale in their previous meeting back in October of 2023 as the squad secured a 42-7 victory. In that match, Lake Wales amassed a halftime lead of 28-7, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.

Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps