The Mulberry Panthers will face off against the Nature Coast Tech Sharks at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mulberry is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their matchup on Thursday with ease, bagging a 54-0 win over DeSoto County. The victory was nothing new for the Panthers as they're now sitting on three straight.
Mulberry's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Traveon Hymes, who rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries, and Laquinton Chandler, who threw for 141 yards and three touchdowns while completing 87.5% of his passes. Hymes' longest rush was for an incredible 76 yards.
Meanwhile, after only seven points in their last contest, Nature Coast Tech made sure to put some points up on the board against Dunedin on Wednesday. Nature Coast Tech breezed by Dunedin to the tune of 49-14. With the Sharks ahead 36-6 at the half, the game was all but over already.
It was another big night for Jackson Hoyt, who threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns while completing 77.3% of his passes, and also rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on only five carries. Nature Coast Tech is 5-2 when Hoyt posts three or more passing touchdowns, but 0-3 otherwise. A healthy portion of Hoyt's aerial production (134 yards to be exact) went to Jacorrion Owens.
Nature Coast Tech didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Dominick Picariello Iii, Kayden Berton, and Aveion Jackson picked up one apiece.
Mulberry pushed their record up to 9-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 28.7 points. As for Nature Coast Tech, with the victory, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 5-5.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Mulberry has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 164.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Nature Coast Tech struggles in that department as they've been averaging 198.3. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
