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Two dominant backs in Jermaine Washington and Tyrese Jefferson are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The East River Falcons will face off against the Melbourne Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. East River has given up an average of 36.7 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
East River is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Innovation last Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Falcons took a blow against the Bulls, falling 36-7. The Falcons were already down big by the end of the third quarter and they stayed that way after failing to score in the fourth.
Meanwhile, after only ten points in their last contest, Melbourne made sure to put some points up on the board against Winter Springs on Friday. The Bulldogs breezed past the Bears to the tune of 49-20. Considering the Bulldogs have won four games by more than 28 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
East River better keep an eye on Edrick Hall. He was instrumental in Melbourne's win, throwing for 254 yards and three touchdowns while completing 73.9% of his passes, and also rushing for 31 yards and one score. Hall's passing game has become a key predictor of the Bulldogs' success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 1-2 otherwise. 83 of Hall's passing yards were hauled in by Michael Rogers, who also brought in two receiving touchdowns.
Melbourne's run defense was locked in: Winter Springs could only muster 2.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Tyler Gagen for the heroic effort on defense: he. Melbourne didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 6.2.
Melbourne didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Ty Field and Kevin Thorpe. Noah McNair was another major factor on D, making 12 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Melbourne has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 13.6 points on average over those games. As for East River, they dropped their record down to 1-5 with the loss, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season.
East River might still be hurting after the 38-12 defeat they got from Melbourne when the teams last played back in October of 2021. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Falcons were down 28-6.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
