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P.K. Yonge will face #1 seeded Villages Charter at The Villages tonight at 7:30.
P.K. Yonge is coming off a 14 point victory over Bradford, their first playoff win in over a decade. The Villages enters this game undefeated and well-rested, as they are coming off a bye week.
Despite Sloppy Play Last Week, P.K. Yonge Optimistic
The Blue Wave survived a messy game last week riddled with turnovers by both teams. They were fortunate enough to force several fumbles when they needed them most. Sophomore Taylor Kendrick knocked the ball out of the hands of a Bradford running back on the goal line to prevent an easy touchdown. In a similar play, PK Yonge’s freshman Aaron Smalls stripped the ball away on the goal line and recovered the fumble.
Blue Wave Coach Marcus McDonald was impressed by his defense for stepping up in these critical moments:
Mcdonald is also confident in his offense and their ability to carve up opposing teams both in the air or on the ground:
He has good reason to feel that way. Senior Quarterback Carter Kutchko threw for 261 yards last week, and P.K. Yonge’s two main senior running backs, Israel Wilcox and Pernell Sylvester, combined for 192 rushing yards.
Biggest Challenge Yet for The Blue Wave
Naturally, The Villages is the projected favorite entering the matchup. They run a ground-and-pound offense that averages 283.7 rushing yards per game.
They do this through a committee backfield of Mac Harris, Corey Goldwire, and Bryce Mellado. The key for PK Yonge’s defense is to continue collecting turnovers by fumbles, a skill that Coach McDonald says they work on every Monday. On offense, it will be a matter of working with what The Villages’ defense provides.
The winner will go on to play to winner of Sante Fe versus Dunnellon, who are also playing tonight at 7:30. The winner of each game, which are both at 7:30 tonight, will play in the regional final next week.
