IMG Academy Blue has played every game this season on their home field, but they'll have to hit the road on Thursday. After both having extra time off, they and the Palmetto Ridge Bears will shake off the cobwebs and face off against one another at 7:00 p.m. Palmetto Ridge took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on IMG Academy Blue, who comes in off a win.
Having struggled with eight defeats in a row dating back to last season, IMG Academy Blue finally turned things around against Canterbury two weeks ago. They managed a 42-38 victory over the Cougars.
Kai Theeke was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 203 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 11.9 yards per carry. Another player making a difference was Max Stafford, who threw for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, IMG Academy Blue was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 274 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since the start of last season.
IMG Academy Blue didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Elijah Hamm.
Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Palmetto Ridge's offense. They were dealt a 42-0 loss at the hands of Gulf Coast back in September. While losing is never fun, the Bears can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 482nd, while the Sharks are ranked 185th).
IMG Academy Blue's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-2. As for Palmetto Ridge, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-4.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
