The Flomaton Hurricanes will face off against the Montgomery Academy Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
On Friday, Flomaton ended up a good deal behind Northview and lost 28-14. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Hurricanes came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 183rd in Alabama, while the Chiefs are ranked 403rd in Florida).
Despite the loss, Flomaton got top-tier performance from Zykenzie Martin, who rushed for 80 yards and a pair of scores.
Meanwhile, Montgomery Academy waltzed into their contest two weeks ago with three straight wins... but they left with four. They blew past Alabama Christian Academy 50-21. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Montgomery Academy had established a 22-point advantage.
A big part of Montgomery Academy's victory came down to the chemistry between Reid McBride and his top target Ali Nelson. McBride threw for 218 yards and three touchdowns while completing 72.2% of his passes while Nelson gained 150 total yards and two touchdowns. What's more, Nelson racked up 127 rushing yards, the most he's had since back in September. Montgomery Academy's leading receiver Jarrett Friendly was McBride's top target yet again, picking up 125 receiving yards and one TD.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Montgomery Academy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 296 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 161 rushing yards in six consecutive matchups.
One reason for the win was Montgomery Academy's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. In that department, John Bennett Lester was the leader with two. Braden Gordon was another major factor on D, making 13 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Montgomery Academy's record is now 9-1. As for Flomaton, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 6-4.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Flomaton has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 150 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Montgomery Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 195.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Flomaton took a serious blow against Montgomery Academy in their previous meeting back in November of 2021, falling 35-7. Can the Hurricanes avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
