Land O' Lakes hasn't had much luck against Mitchell recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Land O' Lakes Gators will face off against the Mitchell Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. That matchup will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Tj Morrow and Corey Simms.
Land O' Lakes is headed into Monday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Friday. They and Leesburg were almost perfectly matched up, but Land O' Lakes suffered a 20-19 loss.
Land O' Lakes' defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Xavier Clemente, who picked up 132 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Morrow, who rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown. Clemente's longest reception was for an incredible 89 yards.
Land O' Lakes' defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Mason Clarke, Patrick Monger, and Monger picked up one apiece. Monger has been hot recently, having also posted at least one defended passe the last four times he's played.
Meanwhile, Mitchell put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They strolled past Tampa Catholic with points to spare, taking the game 31-14.
Mitchell's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Simms led the charge by rushing for 124 yards and three touchdowns. Mitchell also got a significant boost from Bryce Backus, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 83 yards.
Mitchell wouldn't let Tampa Catholic keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. Mitchell can thank Bishop Taylor and Cody Allen for forcing all of them. Allen also set a new season high mark in total tackles with nine. Another thorn in Tampa Catholic's side was Dylan Leighton, who made 12 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Land O' Lakes' loss dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Mitchell, their win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-0.
Monday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Land O' Lakes has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 156 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mitchell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 181.2. It's looking like Monday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Land O' Lakes might still be hurting after the 31-10 defeat they got from Mitchell when the teams last played back in September of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Simms, who rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.5 yards per carry. Now that Land O' Lakes knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
