After three games on the road, Winter Haven is heading back home. They will take on The Auburndale Bloodhounds at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Winter Haven will be strutting in after a win while Auburndale will be coming in after a loss.
Winter Haven can now show off four landslide victories after their most recent game on Thursday. They blew past Lake Nona 41-13 on the road. Given Winter Haven's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 118th, while Lake Nona is ranked 238th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
John Kostuch was the offensive standout of the matchup as he threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns while completing 89.5% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Cassidy Ervin did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 80 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Auburndale's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They were beaten by Lake Wales 42-7. Auburndale was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 28-7.
Winter Haven's win was their third straight on the road, which bumped their overall record up to 6-3. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 32.3 points per game. As for Auburndale, their loss dropped their record down to 7-2.
Winter Haven beat Auburndale 14-6 in their previous meeting back in November of 2022. Does Winter Haven have another victory up their sleeve, or will Auburndale turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
