The Columbia Tigers will face off against the Clay Blue Devils at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Columbia's favor as the team sits on five straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Clay has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road.
Columbia is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 44-0 win over Ridgeview. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 34th, while the Panthers are ranked 430th) , the win last Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Columbia's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Xavier Collins, who threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns on only 17 passes. Drew Simmons helped Collins out on the ground, picking up 55 receiving yards and a pair of TDs, while also punching in one rushing score.
Columbia's run defense was locked in: Ridgeview could only muster 0.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Jaden McCray for the heroic effort on defense: he. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for Columbia; they were averaging 4.2yards per carry per game earlier this season, but in their last three matchups they've fallen to only 2.5 per game.
Columbia's defense didn't let Jordan Mesa, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for six sacks. That dominant display was truly a team effort as six different players picked up one apiece. Columbia got some further help from Kameron Mills: he picked up a sack, forced one fumble, and made six total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, after only seven points in their last game, Clay made sure to put some points up on the board against Fernandina Beach on Friday. The Blue Devils slipped by the Pirates 35-34.
Columbia better keep an eye on Landon Martin. He was instrumental in Clay's win, rushing for 269 yards and three scores while picking up 8.7 yards per carry, and also throwing for 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 92.3% of his passes. Martin's passing game has become a key predictor of the Blue Devils' success: the team is 2-1 when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 0-5 otherwise. Daylen Brown was Martin's top target, picking up 62 receiving yards and two TDs.
Columbia's victory bumped their record up to 7-1. As for Clay, their win bumped their record up to 2-6.
Everything came up roses for Columbia against Clay in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 49-13 victory. Will the Tigers repeat their success, or do the Blue Devils have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
