The Central Bears will face off against the Tenoroc Titans at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Central is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Citrus 47-16 on Friday. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Bears as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
Niko Demos was a one-man wrecking crew as he rushed for 85 yards and three TDs on only nine carries. Those three rushing touchdowns gave him a new career-high.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 283 rushing yards. They are a perfect 3-0 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
Meanwhile, Tenoroc didn't have too much trouble with Anclote on Friday as they won 28-14. The Titans pushed the score to 28-8 by the end of the third, a deficit the Sharks cut but never quite recovered from.
Central better focus on containing Jaidon Furman and Brexton Chapple as the pair were huge in Tenoroc's win. Furman rushed for 115 yards and one touchdown on only eight carries, while Chapple threw for 116 yards and a pair of TDs on only eight passes.
Tenoroc's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB four times. That dominant display was truly a team effort as four different players picked up one apiece. Another thorn in Anclote's side was Tayvon Norton, who made 16 total tackles.
Central's victory was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 4-4. As for Tenoroc, their win bumped their record up to 3-5.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Central has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 154.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Tenoroc struggles in that department as they've been averaging 195.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Central came up short against Tenoroc in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, falling 13-7. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Furman, who rushed for 153 yards and one score on only 11 carries. Now that the Bears know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
