After four games on the road, DeLand is heading back home. They will take on The New Smyrna Beach Barracudas at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully DeLand is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than New Smyrna Beach in Florida (DeLand is ranked 41st, while New Smyrna Beach is ranked 179th).
Last Friday, DeLand beat University 14-3.
Tyron Moore continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 118 yards and a touchdown. Moore hasn't dropped below 100 rushing yards for four straight games.
DeLand's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB seven times. University's QB won't forget Marion Smokes anytime soon given Smokes sacked him seven times.
Meanwhile, New Smyrna Beach missed an extra point against Spruce Creek on Friday and it came back to haunt them. New Smyrna Beach and Spruce Creek were almost perfectly matched up, but New Smyrna Beach suffered an agonizing 29-28 loss.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Brett Remensnyder, who picked up 54 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
With DeLand's victory and New Smyrna Beach's defeat, both teams now sport identical 6-2 records.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's match: DeLand has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 254.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like New Smyrna Beach struggles in that department as they've been averaging 153 per game. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
DeLand was able to grind out a solid win over New Smyrna Beach when the teams last played back in October of 2022, winning 35-28. Does DeLand have another victory up their sleeve, or will New Smyrna Beach turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.