Two dominant backs in Emarian Triplett and Zahmir Mcneil are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. After each having a week off, the Tarpon Springs Spongers and the Pinellas Park Patriots will dust off their jerseys to take on one another at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Tarpon Springs is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering East Lake just ended the team's nine-game winning streak dating back to last season last Friday. They took a 44-34 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Eagles. Despite 280 more yards than the Eagles, the Spongers couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Tarpon Springs' defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Triplett, who rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and Joaquin Kavouklis, who threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns. With that strong performance, Triplett is now averaging an impressive 110 rushing yards per game. Nick Jeffords was in the mix as well, providing Tarpon Springs with two touchdowns.
Even though they lost, Tarpon Springs was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 286 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 178 rushing yards in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Pinellas Park waltzed into their contest last Friday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They took their match on the road with ease, bagging a 41-10 victory over the Gladiators. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 125th, while the Gladiators are ranked 406th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mcneil continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 148 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries. What's more, he's the matchup marked his third straight with at least 146 dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Kaiden Nobles, who gained 32 total yards and two touchdowns.
Tarpon Springs' loss ended a six-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 4-1. As for Pinellas Park, their win bumped their record up to an identical 4-1.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Tarpon Springs has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 228 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Pinellas Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging 179.2. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Tarpon Springs came up short against Pinellas Park in their previous meeting back in September of 2016, falling 25-13. Can Tarpon Springs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
