Preview: St. Bede Bruins vs. Chicago Hope Academy
The St. Bede Bruins will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against the Chicago Hope Academy at 2:00 p.m. on October 28th. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Friday, St. Bede had to suffer through a rough 79-35 loss at the hands of Seneca. While losing is never fun, St. Bede can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 339th, while Seneca is ranked 85th).
Despite the loss, St. Bede had strong showings from Max Bray, who threw for 346 yards and five touchdowns, and Alex Ankiewicz, who picked up 160 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Chicago Hope Academy entered their tilt with Christ the King with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. Chicago Hope Academy claimed a resounding 63-0 win over Christ the King on the road. The result was nothing new for Chicago Hope Academy, who have now won four matchups by 39 points or more so far this season.
Chicago Hope Academy's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jamari West, who picked up 63 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Jamarkus Lofton was in the mix too, providing Chicago Hope Academy with two touchdowns.
St. Bede's loss dropped their record down to 5-4. As for Chicago Hope Academy, their win was their sixth straight on the road, which bumped their overall record up to 8-1.
Saturday's matchup might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. St. Bede has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 181.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Chicago Hope Academy struggles in that department as they've been even better at 191 per game. It's looking like Saturday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
St. Bede was able to grind out a solid victory over Chicago Hope Academy when the teams last played back in October of 2021, winning 30-19. The rematch might be a little tougher for St. Bede since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
