The Raines Vikings will face off against the Mainland Buccaneers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Raines has three straight victories, Mainland has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Raines will bounce into Friday's game after beating Trinity Christian Academy, who they hadn't topped in four consecutive meetings. Raines blew past Trinity Christian Academy 48-23 on Friday. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 21st, while the Conquerors are ranked 107th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Timothy Cole was a one-man wrecking crew for Raines as he rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries, and also threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns while completing 81% of his passes. Ta'Darius Washington was another key player, rushing for 123 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries.
Another reason for the win was Raines' imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for seven sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Geterius Brown and Micah Merritt who racked up five sacks between them. Merritt is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season. King Massey was another major factor on D, forcing a fumble and making eight total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Raines was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 203 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Trinity Christian Academy only rushed for 99.
Meanwhile, Mainland was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 7-2 to Flagler Palm Coast.
Raines' win bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Mainland, their loss ended a four-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 0-3.
Raines might still be hurting after the 26-0 defeat they got from Mainland in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. Will Raines have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
