After each having a week off, the Dr. Phillips Panthers and the East Ridge Knights will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Dr. Phillips comes in on five and East Ridge on six.
Dr. Phillips is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Olympia: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Panthers blew the Titans out of the water with a 42-6 final score. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 125th, while the Titans are ranked 320th) , the win last Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Zion Matthews
| 09/26/25 vs Olympia | 187 |
| 09/12/25 @ Ocoee | 93 |
| 11/07/24 vs East Ridge | 61 |
| 11/22/24 vs Jupiter | 59 |
| 08/30/24 @ University | 59 |
Zion Matthews was a one-man wrecking crew as he rushed for 187 yards and five TDs while picking up 8.9 yards per carry, and also picked up 90 receiving yards and one touchdown. Those 187 rushing yards gave him a new career-high.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Dr. Phillips was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 254 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, East Ridge blew past Celebration, posting a 48-7 win. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Knights just coasted through the last quarter.
East Ridge's win came from a few key players Dr. Phillips will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Lamar Garrison, who picked up 109 receiving yards and three scores. Karon Palmer Jr was another key player, throwing for 204 yards and three touchdowns on only 16 passes.
Dr. Phillips' record is now 5-1. As for East Ridge, their record now sits at 6-0.
Everything came up roses for Dr. Phillips against East Ridge in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, as the team secured a 47-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers 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
