The Mandarin Mustangs will challenge the Fletcher Senators at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Friday, Mandarin humbled Rockledge with a 38-10 victory. Considering the Mustangs have won five contests by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Mandarin to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kyree Wilson, who rushed for 102 yards and a pair of TDs on only six carries. Brysen Wright was another key pass catcher, picking up 156 receiving yards and one touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Mandarin was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 242 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Rockledge only rushed for 90.
Meanwhile, Fletcher didn't have too much trouble with Flagler Palm Coast on Friday as they won 28-12. Given the Senators' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 101st, while the Bulldogs are ranked 209th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Fletcher's win came from a few key players Mandarin will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Diondre Smith, who picked up 12 receiving yards and a pair of scores, and also rushed for 39 yards. Ja'Mez Williams helped out on the ground, rushing for 115 yards.
Mandarin's win was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 8.3 points on average over those games. As for Fletcher, their win bumped their record up to 5-2.
Mandarin was able to grind out a solid victory over Fletcher in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, winning 8-0. Do the Mustangs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Senators turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
