The Clay Blue Devils were the 28-23 winner over the Matanzas Pirates when they last played one another back in October of 2022, but their luck changed this time around. Clay fell just short of Matanzas by a score of 24-21. Clay's loss continues a unfortunate trend for the team, making it three in a row.
Despite the defeat, Clay had strong showings from Merrick Rapoza, who rushed for 18 yards and three touchdowns, and Payton Dykas, who picked up 123 receiving yards.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Matanzas to victory, but perhaps none more so than Dakwon Evans, who threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Andre Andrews also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
Clay's defeat dropped their record down to 4-4. As for Matanzas, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season.
Clay will be playing in front of their home fans against St. Augustine at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. St. Augustine will be coming into the matchup with an undefeated record on the line. As for Matanzas, they will head out on the road to face off against Menendez at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
