Football Recap: Melbourne Central Catholic Comes Up Short

Melbourne Central Catholic played a tough contest on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They took a blow against the Riverview Sarasota Rams, falling 45-14. While losing is never fun, the Hustlers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 284th, while the Rams are ranked 67th).

Most of the squad's points came courtesy of special teams, who contributed eight in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Noah Flores, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.

Even if they lost, Melbourne Central Catholic's defensive line still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: Vance Sanger and Paul Ostrander, who each picked up one sack apiece. Flores got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

Isaiah Belt had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 305 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 11.7 yards per carry for Riverview Sarasota. With that strong performance, Belt is now averaging an impressive 107.5 rushing yards per game. Another player making a difference was Parker Nippert, who threw for 171 yards on 12 of 17 attempts.

Melbourne Central Catholic now has a losing record of 1-2. As for Riverview Sarasota, the victory keeps them at an undefeated 3-0-1.

Melbourne Central Catholic didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next game, a 41-13 loss against Bishop Moore on the 19th. As for Riverview Sarasota, they have also already played their next matchup, a 50-6 win against North Port on the 19th.