Zephyrhills has won 11 straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Lake Wales has won 11 straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Bulldogs will challenge the Highlanders at 7:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Zephyrhills is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Rockledge 35-0. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 37th, while the Raiders are ranked 181st) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Roe Miller
| 10/10/25 @ Freedom | 91 |
| 09/26/25 vs Pasco | 94 |
| 09/19/25 vs Gulf | 99 |
| 10/31/25 vs Port Charlotte | 111 |
| 08/22/25 @ Springstead | 116 |
Zephyrhills had a senior duo take command as Roe Miller rushed for 175 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 10.9 yards per carry and Patrick Harding threw for 173 yards and three TDs while completing 87.5% of his passes. Those 175 rushing yards set a new season-high mark for Miller.
Zephyrhills' run defense was locked in: Rockledge could only muster 2.7 yards per carry. The team can thank Zacary Carroll for the heroic effort on defense: he. Zephyrhills didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 9.1.
Zephyrhills didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Sanyiin Black. Zephyrhills got some further help from Carroll: he picked up a sack and made 11 total tackles.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Lake Wales over New Smyrna Beach in every quarter on their way to victory on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Highlanders blew the Barracudas out of the water with a 38-3 final score. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Highlanders had established a 32-point advantage.
Lake Wales found their leader in sophomore D'Cari Smith, who forced one fumble and made 16 total tackles (3.0 for loss). Raeshaun Pugh made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Zephyrhills' win bumped their record up to 11-0. As for Lake Wales, their victory bumped their record up to 9-2.
Friday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Miller and Kamari Smith. Miller just won't slow down this season and has run in 19 touchdowns while averaging 127.3 rushing yards per game. Smith has been a dominant force too and has averaged 111.2 rushing yards per game.
Zephyrhills might still be hurting after the 29-7 defeat they got from Lake Wales when the teams last played back in August of 2023. Can the Bulldogs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
