After each having a week off, the South Lake Eagles and the Horizon Hawks will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (South Lake has three straight wins, Horizon has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Friday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, South Lake beat Forest 30-25. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 100th, while the Wildcats are ranked 239th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
South Lake got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Tyrese Thompson out in front who rushed for 148 yards and one score. Those 148 rushing yards gave Thompson a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Tre Kelly, who rushed for 46 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: South Lake was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 208 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 154 rushing yards in four consecutive contests.
Jesse Barker Jr.
| 09/26/25 @ Forest | 9 |
| 09/19/25 @ Mount Dora | 6 |
| 09/11/25 vs Davenport | 6 |
| 09/05/25 vs The Villages Charter | 8 |
| 08/29/25 vs Tavares | 12 |
| + 7 more games |
Another reason for the win was South Lake's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. In that department, Jesse Barker Jr. was the leader with two. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in each of the last 12 games he's played dating back to last season. Another thorn in Forest's side was Julian White, who forced one fumble, made eight total tackles, and defended four passes in addition to snagging an interception.
Meanwhile, Horizon was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap last Friday as they fell 20-14 to Winter Springs.
South Lake will have to keep a close watch on Kaio Oliveira and Markese Tatum, a pair of players who had a big impact on Horizon's prior game. Oliveira gained 244 total yards and a touchdown, while Tatum rushed for 32 yards and one TD. Oliveira showed off some serious burst, lighting up the secondary with a catch for 53 yards.
South Lake's win bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Horizon, their loss dropped their record down to 2-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. South Lake has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 168.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Horizon struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 160.3 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
South Lake beat Horizon 20-8 in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Hawks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
