Football Recap: Gainesville Takes a Loss

Gainesville extended their losing streak to five on Thursday, dropping them down to 2-6. They were dealt a 65-21 defeat at the hands of the Williston Red Devils. While losing is never fun, the Hurricanes can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 363rd, while the Red Devils are ranked 132nd).

As for Williston, the win (which was their seventh in a row) raised their record to 7-1. The victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 47.7 points over those games.

J'Dyen Manneh had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 189 yards and four scores on only eight carries. Those four rushing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. Another rusher making a difference was Omarian Walker, who rushed for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only nine carries.

Coming up, Gainesville will challenge Vanguard at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Knights' defense has only allowed 5.4 points per game this season, so the Hurricanes' offense will have their work cut out for them. As for Williston, they will take on Newberry at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. That game will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Manneh and Kaleb Woods.