Two dominant backs in Malik Smith and Nick Formica are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Florence Gophers will face off against the Wickenburg Wranglers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Florence is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 34.9 points per game this season.
Last Friday, Florence didn't have too much breathing room in their game against ALA - Ironwood, but they still walked away with a 30-25 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Gophers.
It was another big night for Smith, who rushed for 301 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.4 yards per carry. Those 301 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Logan Stenson was in the mix too, providing Florence with two touchdowns.
Florence was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 364 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Florence wouldn't let ALA - Ironwood keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Florence can thank Kj Watts and Angel Gortariz Jr for forcing both of them.
Meanwhile, Wickenburg owes their defense a big pat on the back after their performance on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Kingman 28-0. The result was nothing new for the Wranglers, who have now won five contests by 20 points or more so far this season.
Formica continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 140 yards and a touchdown, while also catching a touchdown. That high mark didn't come from nowhere: he posted at least 140 rushing yards in the third games prior.
Florence pushed their record up to 9-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 13.2 points per game. As for Wickenburg, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Florence has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 272.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Wickenburg struggles in that department as they've been averaging 175.7. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
