Gainesville has relied on a stalwart defense averaging 14.5 points allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Thursday. They received a blow as they fell 35-20 to the Patriot Pioneers. The loss was the Cardinals' first of the season.
Several Cardinals players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Colton Kilmer, who threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown. Grayson Eisenhower was Kilmer's top target, picking up 164 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Having lost for the first time this season, Gainesville fell to 5-1. As for Patriot, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 5-1.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. A feisty cat fight will be fought when Cardinals challenges Battlefield at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in their favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season. As for Patriot, they will head out to face off against Osbourn at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Osbourn's defense has only allowed 13.7 points per game this season, so Patriot's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
