Pirates, Mustangs set to renew rivalry Friday

The biggest rivalry of the East County football season continues its series Friday night.

The Braden River Pirates (3-1) host the Lakewood Ranch Mustangs (3-2) in a pivotal matchup. With all the games lost due to inclement weather this season, and the new playoff points system in play, neither team can afford to lose another game if they want to sustain their postseason hopes. 

The Pirates have comfortably won the last three meetings: 31-7 in 2016, 41-0 in 2015 and 21-6 in 2014. Mustangs seniors do remember beating the Pirates, though, recording a 42-31 win in 2013. 

It will be the second game of the season for Pirates senior defender and University of Missouri verbal commit Tyrone Collins, who was recovering from an offseason ACL tear. Collins played outside linebacker last week against Sarasota High to get acclimated to game speed, coach Curt Bradley said. His presence is a boost to a defense that has been susceptible to big plays at times this season. 

The Mustangs won their first three games of the season before hitting its toughest stretch of the year, getting Venice High, Palmetto High and the Pirates in consecutive weeks, all on the road. They dropped the first two, getting outscored 94-10 in the process. If they want to score the upset this week, they will need senior running back Mason Fischer to play well. Fischer ran for 98 yards in the team's 23-21 comeback victory against Springstead High Sept. 22.