Football Game Preview: Palmetto Panthers vs. Western Wildcats

Palmetto is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Western is on a six-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Panthers will host the Wildcats at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Palmetto's defense has only allowed 6.4 points per game this season, so Western's offense will have their work cut out for them.

Palmetto is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. Their defense stepped up to hand Stoneman Douglas a 14-0 shutout. The final result isn't all the surprising considering the Panthers' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked fifth, while the Eagles are ranked 29th).

Meanwhile, Western beat Spanish River 13-0 on Monday. The victory continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Sharks: they've now won four in a row.

Western didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Maddison Manragh.

Palmetto has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 6.4 points on average over those games. As for Western, their record now sits at 15-4.

Palmetto strolled past Western when the teams last played back in March by a score of 25-7. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Wildcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.