Leesburg, Fla. — The Villages High School football team will seek to get back to .500 this season with a win Friday night at Leesburg.

The Buffalo (1-2) are set to hit the road to take on the Yellow Jackets (3-1) at 7 p.m. from Hubert O. Dabney Stadium, as they come off a 22-12 victory — their first this fall — last week at Citrus.

Thanks to a stingy defensive effort, The Villages shrugged off a five-turnover night and rode its defense to three separate fourth-down stops in the fourth quarter, earning an opportunity for two in a row this Friday in Leesburg.

The Buffalo have won each of the previous two meetings between the programs, enjoying a 38-6 home win last September and a 35-6 victory back in 2021 at Leesburg.


THE MATCHUP
The Villages Buffalo
Record: 1-2
Class 2S Rank (MaxPreps): 42
Head Coach: Richard Pettus, 21st year
Leesburg Yellow Jackets
Record: 3-1
Class 3S Rank (MaxPreps): 19
Head Coach: Steven Moffett, 1st year

THE SCENE
Date: Friday, Sept. 22
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Hubert O. Dabney Stadium, Leesburg High School, Leesburg (Fla.)
Surface: Grass
Series: The Villages leads 2-0
Last Meeting: The Villages 38, Leesburg 6 (Sept. 23, 2022)
Live Updates: @VHSFootballFBT (Twitter/X)
Website: athletics.tvcs.org

FOUR DOWNS
1. Take Care: VHS has been bitten by the turnover bug early this season, committing 11 turnovers through their first three games. The Buffalo are currently minus-8 in turnover margin (11 giveaways, 3 takeaways), while three interceptions have been returned for touchdowns against them.
2. Keep Pounding: The Buffalo ran for a season-high 187 yards on 47 carries in last week's win at Citrus. VHS is 25-1 when rushing for 180 yards or more since 2019.
3. Locking Down: After surrendering 82 points over the first two games, the VHS defense buckled down to allow just six total points — the Hurricanes added a defensive score — in last week's victory against Citrus.
4. Good Knight: Steven Moffett, Leesburg's first-year head coach, is a former quarterback from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Moffett threw for 6,199 yards and 41 touchdowns throughout his four-year career with the Knights, graduating as the school's third all-time leading passer.

FROM THE HEADSET
"(Leesburg) is very well-coached and very athletic, and they've obviously got a lot of talent at their skill positions and good size up front. We have to do a better job taking care of the football, for sure, and hopefully that'll help us sustain some drives against them." — VHS head coach Richard Pettus


Cody Hills can be reached for questions or comment at cody.hills@tvcs.org or by calling (352) 259-6890.