By Sarah Morton
Contributing Writer
Twitter – @SarahCarlieUF
The Gainesville Hurricanes will host the Leesburg Yellow Jackets tonight at Citizens Field in a Thursday night district game. It’s also Homecoming for the ‘Canes, who have suffered two losses in a row and now have a 4-3 record overall. The Yellow Jackets have a 1-6 record going into the district game with the ‘Canes.
Previous Game
Last week Gainesville lost at Vanguard (Ocala), 49-28, dropping the Hurricanes (2-1) behind the Knights (3-0) in the 6A-District 5 standings. QB Luke Matthews went 18-for-30 with one TD. Jalen Kelsey led the team in receiving with 141 yards on eight receptions. Niles Cromwell was the team’s leading rusher with 14 carries for 62 yards and one TD.
Meanwhile, Leesburg lost at home to South Lake (Groveland), 30-12. The Yellow Jackets are predominantly a rushing team. J. Solomon had 19 carries for 167 yards and 2 TD’s. The team also played two QB’s. Senior Aj Graham was unable to complete a pass and freshman R. Gilchrist only completed 1-of-3 passes.
The Stats and Top Players
Gainesville on average out scores Leesburg in total points per game 29.7-12.1. The ‘Canes also lead in rushing yards with 111 yards per game compared to Leesburg with 97 yards. In the passing game, the ‘Canes on average put up 280 yards per game and the Yellow Jackets manage 103 yards per game. On defense the Yellow Jackets have 59.9 tackles compared to the ‘Canes 43 tackles a game.
The Hurricanes leading rusher is Niles Cromwell, who averages 56.3 yards a game. QB Luke Matthews has 282.9 total yards per game. On defense Caleb Washington leads the team with 9.5 tackles.
Tayquan Pinellas leads Leesburg in rushing with 81.5 yards. QB AJ Graham puts up 93.6 total yards per game. On the defensive side of the ball Delcory Allen makes 7.7 tackles a game.
Game Time
The game between the Canes and the Yellow Jackets is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Citizens Field.
