The Martin County Gators will head out on the road to challenge the Bertie Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Martin County's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.
Last Friday, Martin County was fully in charge, breezing past Southside 47-8 on the road. The Gators pushed the score to 33-8 by the end of the third, a deficit the Seahawks had little chance of recovering from.
Martin County's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jysen Shepherd led the charge by throwing for 199 yards and three touchdowns on only 18 passes. Noah Congleton was in the mix as well, providing Martin County with two touchdowns.
Martin County wouldn't let Southside keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Kel'Javious Moore was the leader in that area as all came courtesy of his dominant performance. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made nine or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season. Martin County got some further help from Michael Lee Jr: he picked up a sack and made seven total tackles (3.0 for loss) which he returned for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Bertie was not the first on the board last Friday, but they got there more often. They walked away with a 16-6 victory over First Flight. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Falcons.
Bertie's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Tayvien Ward and Zy'Miere Dempsey.
Martin County's record now sits at 3-1. As for Bertie, the win also got them back to even at 2-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Martin County has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 201.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Bertie struggles in that department as they've been averaging 149.2. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Martin County beat Bertie 41-32 in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Martin County since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
