Palmetto is on an eight-game streak of home wins, while Wiregrass Ranch is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. After each having a week off, the two teams will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Palmetto's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed two weeks ago. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 50-0 win over East Lee County. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Tigers' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 43rd, while the Jaguars are ranked 515th).
Matthew Hennesey
| 10/31/25 vs East Lee County | 152.1 |
| 10/24/25 @ Lennard | 84.5 |
| 10/17/25 vs Manatee | 81.6 |
| 10/10/25 vs Lakewood Ranch | 140.1 |
| 09/26/25 vs Gateway | 149.3 |
| + 4 more games |
Palmetto can attribute much of their success to Matthew Hennesey, who threw for 144 yards and three TDs on only ten passes. What's more, Hennesey racked up 152.1 passer rating, the most he's had since back in August. Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Jok Harris, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Wiregrass Ranch really took it to River Ridge for the full four quarters, racking up a 34-7 victory. With the Bulls ahead 20-0 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Wiregrass Ranch's win came from a few key players Palmetto will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Daniel Terry, who threw for 324 yards and four touchdowns, and also punched in one rushing score. His passing game has become a key predictor of Wiregrass Ranch's success: the team is 3-1 when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 2-4 otherwise. The Bulls' leading receiver Jonah Gonzalez was Terry's top target yet again, picking up 145 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
Wiregrass Ranch's run defense was locked in: River Ridge could only muster three yards per carry. The team can thank Carmelo Joseph for the heroic effort on defense: he. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for Wiregrass Ranch; they were averaging 4yards per carry per game earlier this season, but in their last three matchups they've fallen to only 4.8 per game.
Wiregrass Ranch 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 Alex McCollough. Another thorn in River Ridge's side was Joseph, who picked up a sack and made ten total tackles.
The win got Wiregrass Ranch back to even at 5-5. As for Palmetto, their victory bumped their record up to 9-1.
Everything came up roses for Palmetto against Wiregrass Ranch in their previous meeting back in November of 2021, as the squad secured a 41-6 win. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bulls turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
