Football Game Preview: Lemon Bay Manta Rays vs. Island Coast Gators

By Team Reports Sep 27, 2024, 3:56am

Football Preview: Lemon Bay Manta Rays vs. Island Coast Gators

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The Lemon Bay Manta Rays will square off against the Island Coast Gators at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Neither Lemon Bay nor Island Coast posted many points in their last games, so it might be the defenses that decide this one.

Lemon Bay came up short against North Fort Myers on Friday, falling 28-6. The Manta Rays have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Island Coast beat Mariner 12-6 on Friday.

It was another big night for Gervaris Leaphart, who rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown.

Lemon Bay's loss dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Island Coast, their win bumped their record up to 2-3.

Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Lemon Bay has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 183.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Island Coast struggles in that department as they've been averaging 151.4. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.

Lemon Bay couldn't quite finish off Island Coast when the teams last played back in September of 2014 and fell 16-13. Thankfully for Lemon Bay, Van Edwards (who rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.

Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps