After each having a week off, the Lake Nona Lions and the St. Cloud Bulldogs will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Lake Nona comes in on four and St. Cloud on five.
Lake Nona is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Innovation: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Lions blew the Bulls out of the water with a 38-0 final score. The result was nothing new for the Lions, who have now won four matchups by 31 points or more so far this season.
Lake Nona didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Deanthony Lafayette and Nollan Vasconcelos. Lafayette got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter and that's exactly how it played out for St. Cloud last Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Lake Minneola out of the water with a 55-6 final score. The game marked the Bulldogs' most dominant win of the season.
Lake Nona better keep an eye on Jeremiah Lattier. He was instrumental in St. Cloud's win, throwing for 290 yards and five touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes. That's the most passing touchdowns Lattier has posted since back in August. St. Cloud also got help from Owen Sullivan, who showed off his sure hands for 82 receiving yards.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something St. Cloud proved: they limited Lake Minneola to a paltry three yards per carry. The team can thank Bryce Anthony Oraine Williams for the heroic effort on defense: he. St. Cloud's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.3 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 6.93 on average over their last five games.
St. Cloud's defense didn't let Gianni Barzotti, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for five sacks. That dominant display was truly a team effort as five different players picked up one apiece. Anthony Oraine Williams was another major factor on D, making nine total tackles (1.0 for loss) and defending six passes in addition to snagging an interception.
Lake Nona's record is now 7-3. As for St. Cloud, their record now sits at 8-2.
Lake Nona came up short against St. Cloud in their previous matchup back in September, falling 25-17. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Lattier, who threw for 317 yards and one TD, and also punched in one rushing score. Now that the Lions know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
