Two dominant signal callers in Weston Johnston and Cade Searcy are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Van Alstyne Panthers will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Gainesville Leopards at 7:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the pair posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
You're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Van Alstyne on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Bridgeport out of the water with a 57-12 final score. With Van Alstyne ahead 43-0 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Van Alstyne got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Johnston out in front who threw for 172 yards and four touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes, and also punched in two touchdowns on the ground. Another player making a difference was Brayden Miller, who gained 110 total yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Gainesville strolled past Bridgeport with points to spare two weeks ago, taking the game 42-26. The victory was just what Gainesville needed coming off of a 55-28 loss in their prior matchup.
Gainesville can attribute much of their success to Searcy, who threw for 214 yards and four touchdowns while completing 76.9% of his passes. Bugg Kemp was another key contributor, picking up 82 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Their wins lifted both teams to an identical 5-3.
We should be in store for an exciting game Friday as Van Alstyne and Gainesville have no problem gaining yardage. Van Alstyne has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 378.5 total yards per game. However, it's not like Gainesville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 364.5 per game. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them.
Everything came up roses for Van Alstyne against Gainesville in their previous meeting back in October of 2022 as the team secured a 65-18 victory. Does Van Alstyne have another victory up their sleeve, or will Gainesville turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
