The Fort White Indians will square off against the Newberry Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Fort White will be strutting in after a victory while Newberry will be coming in after a loss.
Fort White is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 49-6 win over Zarephath Academy.
It was another big night for JOHN L LAWSON, who rushed for 82 yards and three touchdowns on only five carries. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 68 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of JAYDEN JACKSON, who picked up 69 receiving yards.
Fort White didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut JONATHAN BESSENT.
Meanwhile, Newberry unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. They came up short against Bradford, falling 28-7. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 176th, while the Tornadoes are ranked 41st).
Fort White's victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 36.7 points this season. As for Newberry, their defeat was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 3-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Fort White has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 154.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Newberry struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 155.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Fort White took a serious blow against Newberry in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, falling 44-10. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Panthers' Kaleb Woods, who rushed for 135 yards and three TDs on only 11 carries. Now that the Indians know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
