West Florida has gone 9-0 against Pensacola recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. A feisty cat fight will be fought when Jaguars faces off against the Pensacola Tigers at 7:00 p.m. West Florida will be strutting in after a win while Pensacola will be coming in after a defeat.
West Florida took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They skirted past Milton 23-20. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Jaguars have posted since November 2, 2023.
Among those leading the charge was Xavier Finley, who rushed for 56 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 14 yards and a touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: West Florida was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 217 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 187 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Pensacola scored the most points they've had all season on Friday, but it wasn't enough. They were just a hair shy of victory and fell 38-37 to St. Michael Catholic. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 260th in Florida, while the Cardinals are ranked 54th in Alabama).
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Ag Floyd and Noah Moss. Moss had a great game and gained 149 total yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Floyd was balling out in the loss, rushing for 153 yards and three touchdowns.
West Florida's win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 3-5. As for Pensacola, they dropped their record down to 3-5 with the loss, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. West Florida has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 203.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Pensacola struggles in that department as they've been averaging 248.5. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for West Florida against Pensacola in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 41-0 victory. Does West Florida have another victory up their sleeve, or will Pensacola turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
