Eastside has won six straight games at home (dating back to last season), while South Sumter has won six straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. After each having a week off, the two teams will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:30 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Eastside was handed a 21-point defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene last Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Dunnellon, sneaking past 16-14.
Meanwhile, South Sumter didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against North Marion last Friday, but they still walked away with a 24-19 win. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Raiders' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 126th, while the Colts are ranked 310th).
South Sumter's win came from a few key players Eastside will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Timothy Gaynor, who rushed for 95 yards and one touchdown.
South Sumter's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB ten times. Landon Marshall was especially locked on to North Marion's QB and sacked him twice. Kiwanis Cope was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 14 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
South Sumter's victory bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Eastside, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.
Eastside ended up a good deal behind South Sumter in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, losing 21-7. Thankfully for the Rams, Ja'Kyrian Turner (who rushed for 116 yards and a pair of scores) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
