Mandarin has won three straight games at home, while First Coast has won three straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Monday. The Mandarin Mustangs will host the First Coast Buccaneers at 6:30 p.m. Both have allowed few points on average, (Mandarin: 14.5, First Coast: 14.4) so any points scored will be well earned.
Last Friday, Mandarin didn't have too much trouble with Rockledge at home as they won 24-7. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 20th, while the Raiders are ranked 88th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mandarin found their leader in underclassman Shaunqueze Foster, who rushed for 216 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 13.5 yards per carry. Foster is becoming a predictor of Mandarin's success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Deion Winstead, who rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Mandarin was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 382 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, First Coast strolled past Sandalwood with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 28-14.
Mandarin's victory bumped their record up to 4-2. As for First Coast, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Everything came up roses for Mandarin against First Coast when the teams last played back in September of 2021, as the team secured a 34-7 win. Will Mandarin repeat their success, or does First Coast have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
