The Charlotte Fightin' Tarpons will face off against the Port Charlotte Pirates at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a four-game winning streak alive.
Last Friday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Charlotte beat North Fort Myers 14-10.
Seven Bullock had a dynamite game for Charlotte, picking up 77 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Port Charlotte was able to grind out a solid victory over Zephyrhills on Friday, taking the game 28-18. Given the Pirates' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 31st, while the Bulldogs are ranked 131st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Port Charlotte found their leader in sophomore Logan Flaherty, who rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries, and also threw for 122 yards and two touchdowns while completing 84.6% of his passes. Those 132 rushing yards gave Flaherty a new career-high. Another pass catcher making a difference was Justice Becerril, who picked up 34 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Port Charlotte was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 256 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 180 rushing yards in 17 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
One reason for the win was Port Charlotte's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Myron Charles was especially locked on to Zephyrhills' QB and sacked him twice. Charles also set a new season high mark in total tackles with eight. Another thorn in Zephyrhills' side was Dior Evans, who made seven total tackles and defended three passes in addition to snagging an interception.
Charlotte's win was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-2. As for Port Charlotte, their record now sits at an identical 7-2.
Charlotte was dealt a bruising 44-0 defeat at the hands of Port Charlotte when the teams last played back in September of 2023. Can Charlotte avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
