After each having a week off, the Horizon Hawks and the South Lake Eagles will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Horizon has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with three straight defeats, while South Lake will come in with three straight victories.
Last Friday, Horizon was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 20-14 to Winter Springs.
Horizon's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Kaio Oliveira, who gained 244 total yards and a touchdown, and Markese Tatum, who rushed for 32 yards and one score. Oliveira was no stranger to the big play, lighting up the secondary with a catch that went for 53 yards.
Don't try to pin the team's loss on the defense: they kept the trenches locked down and allowed a mere 3.1 yards per carry. The team can thank Trace Kulczar for the heroic effort on defense: he. Horizon's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 4.4.
Meanwhile, South Lake didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Forest last Friday, but they still walked away with a 30-25 win. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Eagles' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 100th, while the Wildcats are ranked 239th).
South Lake's win came from a few key players Horizon will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Tyrese Thompson, who rushed for 148 yards and one touchdown. Those 148 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Keydrick Powell, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for South Lake, racking up 12 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Powell, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to South Lake's defense and their three sacks. Jesse Barker Jr. was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself. He has been hot for a while, having also posted six or more total tackles the last 12 times he's played. Julian White was another major factor on D, forcing one fumble, making eight total tackles, and defending four passes in addition to snagging an interception.
Horizon's defeat dropped their record down to 2-4. As for South Lake, their record now sits at 5-1.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Horizon has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 160.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like South Lake struggles in that department as they've been averaging 168.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Horizon came up short against South Lake in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, falling 20-8. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Eagles' Malik Holman, who rushed for 97 yards and one TD on only 12 carries. Now that the Hawks know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
