Durant is 4-0 against Sumner since October of 2020, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Durant Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Sumner Stingrays at 7:30 p.m. Durant is looking to tack on another W to their six-game streak on the road.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Durant walked away with it. They took their contest on the road on Friday with ease, bagging a 33-0 win over Palm Harbor University. Durant might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won six matches by 29 points or more this season.
Among those leading the charge was Michael Ryan, who threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes. Quentin Pope got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Durant's defense and their five sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Cade Long and Jerome Parham who racked up four sacks between them.
Meanwhile, Sumner entered their tilt with Riverview with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. Sumner secured a 33-28 W over Riverview on Friday. Given Sumner's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 78th, while Riverview is ranked 216th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Sumner to victory, but perhaps none more so than Greg Smith III, who threw for 161 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 passes, and also punched in a rushing score. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Williams, who picked up 62 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Their wins bumped Durant to 9-2 and Sumner to 10-1.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: Durant has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 153.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Sumner struggles in that department as they've been even better at 202.4 per game. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Durant barely slipped by Sumner in their previous matchup back in September, winning 28-27. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Sumner's Devin Spencer, who rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Durant still be able to contain him? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
