Gateway hasn't had much luck against Celebration recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Panthers will face off against the Storm at 7:00 p.m. Gateway will be strutting in after a win while Celebration will be coming in after a defeat.
Last Friday, Gateway was able to grind out a solid victory over Poinciana, taking the game 19-8. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.
Gateway didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off five passes before the game was over. Isaiah Noel led the group effort, picking up three of those interceptions all by himself.
Meanwhile, Friday just wasn't the day for Celebration's offense. They took a blow against Dr. Phillips on Friday, falling 57-0. While losing is never fun, the Storm can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 438th, while the Panthers are ranked 90th).
Celebration's loss dropped their record down to 1-8. As for Gateway, their win bumped their record up to 4-5.
Thursday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Gateway has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 178.3 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Celebration, though, as they've been averaging only 65.6 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Gateway couldn't quite get it done against Celebration when the teams last played back in November of 2024 as they fell 21-14. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Storm's Sean Nuzzi, who rushed for 28 yards and a pair of TDs, and also picked up 31 receiving yards and one touchdown. Now that the Panthers know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps