Football Preview: Fruitdale Pirates vs. McIntosh Demons
The Fruitdale Pirates are taking a road trip to face off against the McIntosh Demons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Fruitdale is coming into the contest on a five-game losing streak.
Fruitdale is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Leroy on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Fruitdale lost 38-13 to Leroy. While losing is never fun, the Pirates can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Alabama football rankings (they are ranked 399th, while the Bears are ranked 184th).
Despite the defeat, Fruitdale saw an underclassman step up: Fisher Sullivan picked up two sacks and made 12 total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Fruitdale wouldn't let Leroy keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Fruitdale can thank Conner Jones and Brock Williams for forcing both of them. Sullivan was another major factor on D, picking up two sacks and making 12 total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask McIntosh). They blew past Shields, posting a 50-18 victory on the road. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Demons have posted since October 6, 2023.
A big part of McIntosh's victory came down to the chemistry between Cedric Riley and his top target Isaac Reed. Riley gained 140 total yards and two touchdowns while Reed threw for 168 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. Marcus Belton helped Reed out on the ground, rushing for 57 yards and a touchdown on only six carries.
McIntosh didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. Leon Rocker picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown.
Fruitdale's loss dropped their record down to 1-8. As for McIntosh, their win ended a nine-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-7.
Fruitdale was taken down by McIntosh 34-0 when the teams last played back in October of 2023. Can Fruitdale 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
