Gulf has enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will challenge the Lake Wales Highlanders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Gulf will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each match than the last.
Gulf pushed their score all the way to 59 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell 72-59 to Nature Coast Tech. Despite running the score up even higher than they did back in October (55), Gulf still had to take the loss.
Gulf's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Jaydn Wood, who gained 261 total yards and three touchdowns, and Antonio Muniz who rushed for 161 yards and five touchdowns. Muniz hasn't dropped below 100 rushing yards for four straight games.
Meanwhile, Lake Wales put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They were the clear victor by a 28-3 margin over Bartow. The result was nothing new for Lake Wales, who have now won nine games by 22 points or more so far this season.
Lake Wales' win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Johnqaue Richardson, who rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on only five carries. Richardson really tore up the turf during one magnificent 75-yard run. RaShad Orr and his 150 yards on the ground were also a key factor in Lake Wales' win.
Another reason for the win was Lake Wales' imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. In that department, Messiah Marlow was the leader with two sacks.
Gulf's loss dropped their record down to 5-5. As for Lake Wales, they pushed their record up to 10-0 with that victory, which was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season.
We should be in store for an exciting game Friday as the two teams have no problem gaining yardage. Gulf has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 359.7 total yards per game. However, it's not like Lake Wales struggles in that department as they've been even better at 362.6 per game. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
