Merritt Island had won three straight at home, but on Friday they bumped up to 3-2 to make it four. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the St. Cloud Bulldogs 24-21. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 111th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 249th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
The critical scores for Merritt Island came from Drew Sarver, Raundae Monroe, and Ethan Holt. Sarver also deserves some recognition as he hauled in his first receiving touchdown of the season.
Ethan Holt
| 09/19/25 vs St. Cloud | 13 |
| 09/12/25 vs Palm Bay | 16 |
| 09/05/25 @ DeLand | 6 |
| 08/29/25 vs Melbourne | 11 |
| 08/22/25 vs Cocoa | 15 |
Merritt Island didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Kamar Fielder and Holt. Holt is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least six every time he's taken the field this season. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
As for St. Cloud, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-2. Despite 105 more yards than Merritt Island, the Bulldogs couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
St. Cloud lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Owen Sullivan, who picked up 108 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The team also got some help courtesy of Jeremiah Lattier, who threw for 221 yards and three TDs.
Coming up, Merritt Island will venture away from home to challenge ED White at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The Commanders' defense has only allowed 10.5 points per game this season, so the Mustangs' offense will have their work cut out for them. As for St. Cloud, they will be playing at home against Lake Nona at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. This will be the Bulldogs' first chance to prove their worth in the conference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
