Football Game Preview: Ponte Vedra Sharks vs. Orange Park Raiders

By Team Reports Oct 19, 2023, 6:33am

Preview: Ponte Vedra Sharks vs. Orange Park Raiders

Ponte Vedra has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge The Orange Park Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Ponte Vedra's favor is that they have now posted big point totals in their last five games.

Last Friday, everything came up roses for Ponte Vedra at home against Tocoi Creek as the squad secured a 38-6 win. The result was nothing new for Ponte Vedra, who have now won five contests by 20 points or more so far this season.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Ponte Vedra to victory, but perhaps none more so than Benjamin Burk, who threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns on only 16 passes. Ponte Vedra also got help from Cole Madson who showed off his sure hands for 86 receiving yards.

Orange Park never got on the board in their last matchup, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Ridgeview last Friday. Everything went Orange Park's way against Ridgeview as Orange Park made off with a 36-12 win.

Dylon Ruiz was on fire: he rushed for 225 yards and a touchdown while picking up 11.8 yards per carry. Ruiz was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 59 yards. Quinton "q" Moore was another key contributor, picking up 70 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Orange Park's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB five times. Leading the way was Ashnel Louiceus and his two sacks.

Ponte Vedra's victory was their third straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 6-1. They've been dominating across those matchups too: they took their wins by an average of 34 points. As for Orange Park, their win ended a six-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 3-4.

Everything went Ponte Vedra's way against Orange Park when the teams last played back in October of 2022 as Ponte Vedra made off with a 30-6 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Ponte Vedra since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.