The Palatka Panthers will be staying on the road on Friday to face off against the Keystone Heights Indians at 7:30 p.m. Palatka is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 28 points per game this season.
Palatka's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Crescent City 35-0 on the road. The high-scoring effort was just what the Panthers needed considering they were shutout in their previous match.
Meanwhile, Keystone Heights was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They were outmatched by Chiefland at home and fell 54-0. While losing is never fun, Keystone Heights can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 410th, while Chiefland is ranked 194th).
Keystone Heights wouldn't let Chiefland keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Keystone Heights can thank Luke Bacorn and Andrew Wilson for forcing both of them.
Palatka's victory bumped their record up to 5-3. As for Keystone Heights, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Palatka has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 200.9 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Keystone Heights, though, as they've been averaging only 97.5. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Palatka took their win against Keystone Heights in their previous matchup back in October of 2023 by a conclusive 41-21. The rematch might be a little tougher for Palatka since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
