The New Smyrna Beach Barracudas will head out on the road to take on the Rockledge Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Friday, New Smyrna Beach didn't have too much trouble with Deltona as they won 26-7. The Barracudas haven't had any issues with the Wolves recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
New Smyrna Beach's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jace Payne led the charge by throwing for 150 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 85.7% of his passes, and also rushing for 54 yards. Another rusher making a difference was Todd Cutler Jr, who rushed for 116 yards and one score.
Meanwhile, after only seven points in their last game, Rockledge made sure to put some points up on the board against Pine Ridge on Friday. The Raiders strolled past the Panthers with points to spare, taking the game 41-24. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Raiders' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 148th, while the Panthers are ranked 391st).
A big part of Rockledge's victory came down to the chemistry between Robbie Blalock and his top target Michael Gonzalez Jr. Blalock threw for 297 yards and four touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes while Gonzalez Jr picked up 224 receiving yards and four TDs. Those 224 receiving yards gave Gonzalez Jr a new career-high.
New Smyrna Beach's record now sits at 6-2. As for Rockledge, their record is now 3-5.
Things could have been worse for New Smyrna Beach, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 24-10 loss to Rockledge when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Can the Barracudas 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
