Haines City is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Friday. They will venture away from home to take on the Winter Haven Blue Devils at 7:30 p.m. Haines City has given up an average of 40 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Things were looking good for Haines City after they put the first points on the board on Friday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They came up short against Poinciana, falling 36-13. The Hornets were down 28-6 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Dylan Rosario, who rushed for 88 yards and one score.
Meanwhile, Winter Haven earned a 29-16 win over Palm Beach Lakes on Friday.
Winter Haven's win came from a few key players Haines City will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Michael Kearney Iii, who rushed for 125 yards, and also threw for 61 yards and one TD. Matwain Bryant got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Winter Haven's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB three times. Leading the way was Vario McBride with two sacks. McBride is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least eight every time he's taken the field this season. Bryant got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Winter Haven's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 3-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 5.3 points on average over those games. As for Haines City, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 1-4.
Haines City beat Winter Haven 20-7 in their previous matchup back in September of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hornets since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
