The Arnold Marlins will head out to square off against the Fort Walton Beach Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Fort Walton Beach took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Arnold, who comes in off a win.
Arnold is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They came out on top against Walton by a score of 28-21 on Friday. The Marlins haven't had any issues with the Braves recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Will Cotter was the offensive standout of the matchup as he threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 37 yards and one TD. Darin Elder got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Arnold's run defense was locked in: Walton could only muster 1.9 yards per carry. The team can thank Charlie Cotter for the heroic effort on defense: he. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for Arnold; they were averaging 4yards per carry per game earlier this season, but in their last three contests they've fallen to only 0 per game.
Arnold didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. Elder picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Fort Walton Beach came up short against Wakulla on Friday and fell 30-22. The Vikings have struggled against the War Eagles recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Arnold will have to contain Cannon Wilbur as he made an impact in Fort Walton Beach's last game. He picked up 55 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
Even if they lost, Fort Walton Beach's defense still kept up the pressure with four sacks. That dominant display was truly a team effort as four different players picked up one apiece. They got some further help from Charles Lilly: he picked up a sack and made six total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Fort Walton Beach's defeat dropped their record down to 1-6. As for Arnold, their victory bumped their record up to 2-4.
Arnold was able to grind out a solid win over Fort Walton Beach in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, winning 14-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Marlins since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
