The Clearwater Tornadoes will take on the Lake Wales Highlanders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Clearwater is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Gulf 50-3 on Friday. Given the Tornadoes' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 81st, while the Buccaneers are ranked 289th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jaylen White
| 09/26/25 vs Gulf | 156.3 |
| 08/29/25 @ Wiregrass Ranch | 114.1 |
| 08/22/25 @ Bartow | 107.5 |
| 09/18/25 @ Largo | 80.2 |
| 09/05/25 @ Lakewood | 80.1 |
| + 1 more games |
Jaylen White was his usual excellent self, throwing for 281 yards and five TDs while completing 75% of his passes, and also rushing for 100 yards on only eight carries. His passing game has become a key predictor of Clearwater's success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 1-2 otherwise. The Tornadoes' leading receiver Isaiah Berrien was White's top target yet again, picking up 130 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Clearwater was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 323 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 170 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Clearwater's defense stepped up as well, laying out Curtis Scriven three times. Leading the way was Maurice Bryant with two sacks.
Meanwhile, Lake Wales had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They really took it to the Thunder for the full four quarters, racking up a 54-0 win. That looming 54-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Highlanders yet this season.
Clearwater better keep an eye on Kamari Smith. He was instrumental in Lake Wales' win, rushing for 88 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries. Smith has been hot recently, having posted two or more rushing touchdowns the last three times he's played.
Lake Wales didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Lebron Alvarez and D'Cari Smith. Lake Wales received some extra help from Smith, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Clearwater's victory bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Lake Wales, their win bumped their record up to 5-1.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Clearwater has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 242.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Lake Wales struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 218.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
