The Port Charlotte Pirates will face off against the Charlotte Fightin' Tarpons at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a four-game winning streak alive.
Last Friday, Port Charlotte was able to grind out a solid victory over Zephyrhills, taking the game 28-18. Given the Pirates' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 31st, while the Bulldogs are ranked 131st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Port Charlotte found their leader in sophomore Logan Flaherty, who rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries, and also threw for 122 yards and two touchdowns while completing 84.6% of his passes. The dominant performance gave Flaherty a new career-high in rushing yards. Another player making a difference was Justice Becerril, who picked up 34 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Port Charlotte was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 256 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 180 rushing yards in 17 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Port Charlotte's defense made their presence known, laying out Tristan Lennon. three times. Myron Charles was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two sackshimself. He also set a new season high mark in total tackles with eight. Dior Evans was another major factor on D, making seven total tackles and defending three passes in addition to snagging an interception.
Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Charlotte beat North Fort Myers 14-10 on Friday.
Seven Bullock was a one-man wrecking crew for Charlotte as he picked up 77 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Port Charlotte pushed their record up to 7-2 with the win, which was their third straight at home. As for Charlotte, their record is now an identical 7-2.
Everything came up roses for Port Charlotte against Charlotte in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, as the team secured a 44-0 victory. Will Port Charlotte repeat their success, or does Charlotte have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
