If the Stranahan Mighty Dragons were riding high off their 39-6 takedown of the Coral Glades Jaguars last Thursday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Stranahan ended up on the wrong side of a tough 44-24 walloping at the hands of Cardinal Gibbons on Friday. Stranahan has not had much luck with Cardinal Gibbons recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.
When it comes to explaining why Stranahan lost, one person who can't be blamed is Tyler Jackson. Despite the final result, he rushed for 162 yards while picking up 9.0 yards per carry, and also threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 59 yards.
Cardinal Gibbons was led to victory by Michael Merdinger and Patrick Anderson jr.. Merdinger threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns, while Anderson jr. rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.5 yards per carry. Trent Dubuc also helped out with an impressive 88 receiving yards.
Cardinal Gibbons' defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB seven times. Auston Francis was especially locked on to Stranahan's QB and sacked him three times.
Stranahan has been struggling recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-5 record this season. As for Cardinal Gibbons, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 7-3.
Stranahan will head out on the road to face off against Fort Lauderdale at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Cardinal Gibbons, they will be playing at home against Clearwater Central Catholic at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Clearwater Central Catholic is also coming in off of a big victory, so somebody is in for a big reversal of fortune.
