The Eustis Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Merritt Island Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Eustis is looking to tack on another W to their five-game streak on the road.
Last Friday, Eustis got themselves on the board against Mount Dora, but Mount Dora never followed suit. They took their match on the road with ease, bagging a 28-0 win over the Hurricanes. Considering Eustis has won five games by more than 21 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Eustis to victory, but perhaps none more so than Troy Saladin, who threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Damarian Hagins also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Merritt Island earned a 38-28 victory over Satellite on Friday. The victory was just what Merritt Island needed coming off of a 33-13 loss in their prior matchup.
Merritt Island can attribute much of their success to Chris Kelly, who rushed for 196 yards and a touchdown. Kelly was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 58 yards. Another player making a difference was Ryder Varis, who picked up 72 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Their wins lifted both teams to an identical 6-3.
Eustis came up short against Merritt Island in their previous meeting back in October of 2022, falling 46-35. Can Eustis avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
