The Navarre Raiders will head out on the road to face off against the Niceville Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Navarre will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Navarre ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. In a tight game that could have gone either way, they made off with a 49-48 win over Gulf Breeze. That's two games straight that Navarre has won by exactly a single point.
Navarre can attribute much of their success to Connor Mathews, who rushed for 133 yards and three touchdowns, and Hunter Pfiester, who rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.0 yards per carry.
Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, Niceville's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They and Mosley were almost perfectly matched up, but Niceville suffered an agonizing 29-28 loss.
Niceville's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Uriah West, who rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries, and Dj Robinson who rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown. Alante Reese made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Navarre's win was their fourth straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 7-2. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 43.5 points per game. As for Niceville, their loss dropped their record down to 7-2.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Navarre has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 243 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Niceville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 224.1 per game. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Navarre suffered a grim 35-14 defeat to Niceville in their previous matchup back in November of 2022. Can Navarre avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
