It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but the Lakeland Dreadnaughts had no problem doing just that on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Hawks 77-48 on the road. The result was nothing new for Lakeland, who have now won nine matchups by 21 points or more so far this season.
D'marius Rucker had a dynamite game for Lakeland, rushing for 278 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 17.4 yards per carry. The team also got some help courtesy of Markel Johnson, who rushed for 111 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries.
Several Hawks players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Dane Thompkins, who rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.3 yards per carry. Thompkins is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jackson Hughes, who threw for 451 yards and four touchdowns.
The win (which was Lakeland's fourth in a row) raised their record to 10-3. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 47.8 points per game. As for Lake Minneola, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-4.
Lakeland will head out on the road to face off against Buchholz at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Buchholz is on a seven-game streak of home wins, Lakeland a eight-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season)-- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the field. Lake Minneola does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
