The Buchholz Bobcats will square off against the Nease Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Buchholz comes in on nine and Nease on five.
Buchholz is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup last Thursday. They came out on top against Oviedo by a score of 49-41. Given the Bobcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 12th, while the Lions are ranked 96th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Buchholz got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Andrew Whittemore out in front who threw for 225 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also rushed for 80 yards and one TD on only five carries. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 66 yards. Buchholz's leading receiver Justin Williams was Whittemore's top target yet again, picking up 156 receiving yards and two scores, while also rushing for 34 yards and one touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Buchholz was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 236 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.
Meanwhile, Nease hadn't done well against Oakleaf recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Panthers simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Knights 45-7. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won six matchups by 29 points or more so far this season.
Nease found their leader in sophomore Aiden Phifer, who rushed for 121 yards and three TDs on only seven carries, and also threw for 110 yards on ten of 19 attempts. Those three rushing touchdowns set a new season-high mark for Phifer.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Nease's defense and their three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Noah Hodge, Gunnar Reston, and Gage Wynne, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Nease's victory bumped their record up to 9-2. As for Buchholz, their win bumped their record up to 10-1.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Buchholz has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 179 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Nease struggles in that department as they've been averaging 157.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything went Buchholz's way against Nease in their previous meeting back in September, as Buchholz made off with a 27-7 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was the Panthers' Enrique Ordo?ez, who rushed for 137 yards and one score on only 14 carries. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Bobcats still be able to contain Ordo?ez? There's only one way to find out.
