Football Preview: Palatka Panthers vs. Newberry Panthers
The Palatka Panthers will take on the Newberry Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Newberry is hoping to do what Nature Coast Tech couldn't on Friday: put an end to Palatka's winning streak, which now stands at four games. Palatka walked away with a 34-26 win over Nature Coast Tech.
Palatka's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Justin Fells, who rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance gave Fells a new career-high in rushing yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Lawrence Evans, who rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Palatka was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 295 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 162 rushing yards in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Newberry). They blew past Keystone Heights 48-0 at home two weeks ago. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 97th, while the Indians are ranked 311th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Kaleb Woods, who rushed for 194 yards and four touchdowns on only 11 carries. His longest rush was for an incredible 81 yards. Kobe Johnson was another key player, throwing for 63 yards and two touchdowns on only six passes.
Newberry's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB ten times. Malachi Lancaster and Jarquez Carter were the leaders of the group effort as each produced three apiece. Carter also set a new season high mark in sacks with three.
Palatka's victory bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Newberry, the win got them back to even at 2-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Palatka has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 237.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Newberry struggles in that department as they've been averaging 214.5. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Palatka came up short against Newberry in their previous meeting back in September of 2021, falling 37-30. Can Palatka 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
