Football Preview: Florence Gophers vs. Thatcher Eagles
Florence is 0-3 against Thatcher since October of 2020 but things could change on Friday. The Florence Gophers will head out to take on the Thatcher Eagles at 7:00 p.m. Florence is looking to tack on another W to their five-game streak on the road.
Last Friday, Florence didn't have too much trouble with Wickenburg as they won 21-7.
Florence had a senior duo take command as Malik Smith rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown and Logan Stenson rushed for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Smith's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 101 rushing yards. Wyatt Stenson was in the mix too, providing Florence with two touchdowns.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Florence was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 264 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 165 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Thatcher). They claimed a resounding 56-14 victory over Gilbert Christian. Considering the Eagles have won six contests by more than 25 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Thatcher has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 9-2 record this season. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 36.0 points per game. As for Florence, their win bumped their record up to 10-1.
Florence suffered a grim 35-14 defeat to Thatcher when the teams last played back in November of 2023. Can Florence 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
