Merritt Island proved they can win big last Friday (they won by 39) but on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the St. Cloud Bulldogs 26-23. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 143rd, while the Bulldogs are ranked 287th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Delvonte Williams went supernova for Merritt Island, rushing for 176 yards. Donterrius Robinson Jr. did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 102 receiving yards.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Merritt Island's defense and their three sacks. Leading the way was Jarvis Howell with two. He 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. Jace Jordan was another major factor on D, making eight total tackles and defending four passes in addition to snagging an interception.
Merritt Island was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 251 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
St. Cloud lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Logan King, who threw for 466 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 12.9 yards per attempt. Alexander Springs was King's top target, picking up 177 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Merritt Island's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-1. As for St. Cloud, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-3.
Merritt Island will look to defend their home field on Friday against ED White at 6:30 p.m. ED White will roll in looking for their fourth straight win, something Merritt Island surely won't give up without a fight. As for St. Cloud, they will square off against Lake Nona at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
