The Palatka Panthers will take on the Baldwin Indians at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
Palatka is leaving town to face Baldwin after disappointing their home crowd in their season opener. Palatka took a blow against St. Augustine on Friday, falling 42-6. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 233rd, while the Yellow Jackets are ranked 12th).
Meanwhile, Baldwin had to kick off their season on the road on Friday, but they showed no ill effects. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Englewood 45-14 on the road. The victory was some much needed relief for the Indians as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak dating back to last season.
Baldwin's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Gage Screws led the charge by throwing for 191 yards and three touchdowns on only 16 passes, while also punching in a rushing score. Kelvin Brown was Screws' top target, picking up 102 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Baldwin's defense stepped up as well, laying out Ty Keister. three times. Taylor Davenport was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two sackshimself.
Things could have been worse for Palatka, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 29-12 loss to Baldwin in their previous matchup back in November of 2022. Thankfully for Palatka, Jalen Hitchens (who rushed for 102 yards and three touchdowns, and also threw for 178 yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
