The Rickards Raiders will venture away from home to take on the Choctawhatchee Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Rickards has given up an average of 34.9 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Rickards is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Bishop Kenny on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Raiders were beaten by the Crusaders 56-14. The Raiders were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 49-7.
Meanwhile, Choctawhatchee put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past South Walton 38-6. With the Indians ahead 24-0 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Rickards better focus on containing Von'Tavius Keller and Tamen Zabetakis as the pair were huge in Choctawhatchee's win. Keller rushed for 94 yards and a pair of TDs, while Zabetakis rushed for 82 yards on only seven carries. What's more, Keller posted two rushing touchdowns, the most he's had since back in November of 2024.
Choctawhatchee's run defense was locked in: South Walton could only muster -0.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Ellis Alloway for the heroic effort on defense: he. Choctawhatchee's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.45 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 7.93 on average over their last five games.
Choctawhatchee's defense didn't let JD Brown, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Alloway and Mario Alloway, who racked up four sacks between them. Mario is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in each of the last five games he's played.
Choctawhatchee's record now sits at 7-0. As for Rickards, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-5.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Rickards has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 195.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Choctawhatchee struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 192.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Rickards might still be hurting after the 31-7 loss they got from Choctawhatchee when the teams last played back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Keller, who rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Now that the Raiders know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
