Gaither is 2-0 against Durant since September of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Gaither Cowboys will head out on the road to face off against the Durant Cougars at 7:30 p.m. Gaither is hoping to put an end to a four-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Gaither pushed their score all the way to 35 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They were just a hair shy of victory and fell 36-35 to Jesuit. While losing is never fun, Gaither can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 156th, while Jesuit is ranked 48th).
Jayce Nixon put forth a good effort for the losing side as he threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Darryon Williams also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Durant had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 20 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 28-13 win over Newsome.
Among those leading the charge was Emmanuel Lee, who rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries. Lee's longest rush was for an incredible 80 yards.
Durant's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB three times. Leading the way was Caleb Waters and his two sacks.
Durant's victory bumped their season record to 7-1 while Gaither's defeat dropped theirs to 2-5.
Gaither didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Durant when the teams last played back in October of 2022, but they still walked away with a 41-35 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Durant's Jeremiah Gines, who picked up 244 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Gaither to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
