Football Preview: Ridgeview Panthers vs. Columbia Tigers
A feisty cat fight will be fought when Panthers faces off against the Columbia Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Ridgeview will be strutting in after a victory while Columbia will be coming in after a loss.
Having struggled with 12 defeats in a row dating back to last season, Ridgeview finally turned things around against KIPP Bold City on Friday. They came out on top against the Greyhounds by a score of 29-20. The Panthers' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Malik Cole went supernova for Ridgeview, rushing for 127 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Christian Felder, who rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Another reason for the win was Ridgeview's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Lucious Harris was especially locked on to KIPP Bold City's QB and sacked him twice. Harris is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season.
Ridgeview was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 231 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Columbia was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They came up short against Bolles, falling 42-17. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 141st, while the Bulldogs are ranked 29th).
Columbia's defeat came about despite a quality game from Bynton Edge, who picked up 72 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Columbia also got a significant boost from Jerome Horne, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 96 yards.
Ridgeview's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-5. As for Columbia, their loss dropped their record down to 2-5.
Ridgeview took a serious blow against Columbia in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, falling 49-0. Can Ridgeview avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
