East Ridge proved they can win big last Friday (they won by 37) and on Thursday they proved they can win the close ones too. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Mount Dora Hurricanes, sneaking past 28-25. For the Knights, this counts as revenge for the 45-14 win the Hurricanes walked away with the last time they faced one another back in August of 2024.
East Ridge's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Daryl Ellis led the charge by rushing for 149 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 8.3 yards per carry. Ellis showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 51 yards. East Ridge also got help from Tony 'Dook' Brown, who showed off his sure hands for 90 receiving yards.
Knights
| 08/28/25 vs Mount Dora | 245 |
| 08/22/25 @ Eustis | 127 |
| 11/01/24 @ Tavares | 53 |
| 10/24/24 @ Olympia | 236 |
| 10/18/24 vs South Lake | 70 |
| + 3 more games |
They were just one part of a punishing run game: East Ridge was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 245 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2024.
Mount Dora's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Tymir Gaines, who rushed for 226 yards and one score while picking up 9.4 yards per carry. D'Micah Lowman also helped out as he racked up 114 rushing yards.
East Ridge's record now sits at 2-0. As for Mount Dora, their loss dropped their record down to 0-2.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. East Ridge will venture away from home to square off against Davenport at 7:00 p.m. on the 5th. As for Mount Dora, they will have a little extra prep time after the defeat as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Bishop Moore at 7:00 p.m. on the 12th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
