Two dominant backs in Junior Harris and Ethan Crandall are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Destin Sharks will square off against the Pensacola Catholic Crusaders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Destin has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with four straight defeats, while Pensacola Catholic will come in with four straight victories.
Destin is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Opp on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Sharks were dealt a 48-19 loss at the hands of the Bobcats. While losing is never fun, the Sharks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 457th in Florida, while the Bobcats are ranked 129th in Alabama).
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Pensacola Catholic). They blew past Freeport 58-17 on Friday. The team's explosion on offense also rewarded the Crusaders with their most commanding win of the season.
Destin better keep an eye on Caden Jasso. He was instrumental in Pensacola Catholic's win, picking up 53 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.
Pensacola Catholic's run defense was locked in: Freeport could only muster 2.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Kaleb Johnson for the heroic effort on defense: he. Pensacola Catholic hasn't allowed more than 4.4 yards per carry in three consecutive contests.
Pensacola Catholic's defense didn't let the opposing QB, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Bryce Cannon and Tripp Dalton, who racked up four sacks between them. Dalton is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least five every time he's taken the field this season.
Destin's defeat dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Pensacola Catholic, their record is now 5-1.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Destin has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 178.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Pensacola Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 211.3 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
