Florence is 4-0 against American Leadership Academy - Ironwood since October of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Florence Gophers will look to defend their home field against the American Leadership Academy - Ironwood Warriors at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, Florence never let their opponents score. They took their game on the road with ease, bagging a 41-0 win over Crismon. The high flying offensive effort was a huge turnaround for Florence's seven-point performance the contest before.
Florence's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Malik Smith, who rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.4 yards per carry, and Logan Stenson, who rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown. Aiden Lee did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 81 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, American Leadership Academy - Ironwood had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 26 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. Everything went their way against San Tan Foothills as American Leadership Academy - Ironwood made off with a 36-14 win.
Ayden Williams was his usual excellent self, rushing for 365 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.4 yards per carry. Williams was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 65 yards. Jett Brewster was another key contributor, rushing for 40 yards and a touchdown.
Florence's victory bumped their record up to 7-2. As for American Leadership Academy - Ironwood, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Florence has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 262.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like American Leadership Academy - Ironwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 229.9 per game. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Florence against American Leadership Academy - Ironwood in their previous matchup back in October of 2022 as the team secured a 51-13 win. Does Florence have another victory up their sleeve, or will American Leadership Academy - Ironwood turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
