If The Lake Gibson Braves were feeling good off their 35-7 takedown of the Kathleen Red Devils last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Lake Gibson took a 16-12 hit to the loss column at the hands of Winter Haven. Having soared to a lofty 35 points in the game before, Lake Gibson couldn't push the score so high this time.
Although Lake Gibson took the loss, they still got scores from Jamarkis Harrison and Jonathan Williamson.
Among those leading the charge was Alfred Smothers, who rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.1 yards per carry. Smothers was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 69 yards.
Lake Gibson's defeat was their third straight at home, which dropped their overall record down to 5-4. The slump could be explained by some tough opposition over that stretch, namely Winter Haven, Lake Wales, and Lakeland. As for Winter Haven, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 6-3.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Lake Gibson will face off against George Jenkins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. George Jenkins comes in on a streak of failing to score more than nine points in their last four games, a trend the team is of course eager to reverse. As for Winter Haven, they will head out on the road to face off against Lake Nona at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Lake Nona will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings (they are ranked 237th, while Winter Haven is ranked 118th).
