Football Preview: Jackson Christian Eagles vs. Harding Academy Lions
Jackson Christian has gone 3-0 against Harding Academy recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Jackson Christian Eagles will challenge the Harding Academy Lions at 7:00 p.m. The timing is sure in Jackson Christian's favor as the squad sits on nine straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Harding Academy has been banged up by seven consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.
Jackson Christian's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Lake County 42-0 on the road. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matchups by 28 points or more this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Jackson Christian to victory, but perhaps none more so than Duece Lawrence, who rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns on only five carries. Lawrence's longest rush was for an impressive 60 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. The team also got some help courtesy of Austin Kelley, who threw for 154 yards and four touchdowns on only 14 passes.
Meanwhile, a win for Harding Academy just wasn't in the cards on Thursday as the team wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They took a blow against St. Bernard's, falling 51-6.
Jackson Christian's victory bumped their record up to 7-1. As for Harding Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 1-7.
Friday's match might be decided in the trenches. Jackson Christian has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 167 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Harding Academy, though, as they've been averaging only 34.2. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Everything came up roses for Jackson Christian against Harding Academy in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 62-7 win. Will Jackson Christian repeat their success, or does Harding Academy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
