William Floyd is 9-1 against Ward Melville since October of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The William Floyd Colonials will be staying on the road to face off against the Ward Melville Patriots at 3:30 p.m. William Floyd knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Ward Melville likes a good challenge.
William Floyd is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Saturday as they easily beat Sachem East 48-20 on the road. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 36-14.
Ja?Quan Thomas was his usual excellent self, rushing for 220 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.6 yards per carry. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 147 rushing yards dating back to last season. William Floyd also got help from Geovanni Alvarez, who showed off his sure hands for 105 receiving yards.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, William Floyd was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 424 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 150 rushing yards in 16 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Ward Melville put another one in the bag on Saturday to keep their perfect season alive. They enjoyed a cozy 28-14 win over Walt Whitman. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' New York football rankings (they are ranked 133rd, while the Wildcats are ranked 299th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Ward Melville to victory, but perhaps none more so than Joey Karpowicz, who picked up 121 receiving yards and a touchdown, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Karpowicz torched the secondary when he pulled down a catch that went for 88 yards. Joey Benedetto was another key player, rushing for 168 yards while picking up 8.8 yards per carry.
William Floyd's victory was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-0. As for Ward Melville, their record now sits at an identical 4-0.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. William Floyd has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 308.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Ward Melville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 169.5. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
William Floyd was able to grind out a solid win over Ward Melville in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, winning 31-21. The rematch might be a little tougher for William Floyd since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
