The Wharton Wildcats will head out on the road to challenge the Gaither Cowboys at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Things were looking good for Wharton after they put the first points on the board on Friday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They received a blow as they fell 28-12 to Plant. The game snapped a strange streak: the last four times these teams have met, it?s been the away team that?s taken home the W.
Meanwhile, Gaither had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 30.4 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Friday. They never let the Eagles get on the board and left with a 49-0 win. Given the Cowboys' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 33rd, while the Eagles are ranked 259th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Wharton better keep an eye on Ryan Browning. He was instrumental in Gaither's win, throwing for 262 yards and three TDs on only 18 passes, while also rushing for 32 yards. Another player making a difference was Joshua Balloon, who gained 89 total yards and two touchdowns.
Gaither's run defense was locked in: Springstead could only muster 2.9 yards per carry. While three picked up at least ten total tackles, Balloon stood above the rest. He picked up 68 receiving yards and one score, and also punched in one touchdown on the ground. Gaither didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 11.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Gaither, adding 13 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Ryan Hamilton, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Wharton's loss dropped their record down to 4-4. As for Gaither, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.
Wharton took a serious blow against Gaither when the teams last played back in October of 2024, falling 54-6. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Wildcats were down 34-0.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
