Football Game Preview: Merritt Island Christian Cougars vs. Legacy Charter Eagles

The Merritt Island Christian Cougars will challenge the Legacy Charter Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Legacy Charter took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Merritt Island Christian, who comes in off a win.

Merritt Island Christian is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Florida's top teams: Calvary Chapel Academy, who was ranked 19th at the time (Merritt Island Christian was ranked third). The Cougars breezed past the Eagles to the tune of 42-0 on Friday. Considering the Cougars have won five matchups by more than 23 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Bode Handwork

Rushing Yards

09/26/25 @ Calvary Chapel Academy	19
09/19/25 vs Donahue Catholic	10
08/15/25 @ Academy at the Lakes	4
11/08/24 vs Countryside Christian	0
11/01/24 vs Canterbury	30

Merritt Island Christian's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Bode Handwork, who threw for 73 yards and a pair of TDs, and also punched in one touchdown on the ground. What's more, Handwork racked up 19 rushing yards, the most he's had since back in November of 2024. Caleb Richeson was another key rusher, rushing for 72 yards and one score.

Merritt Island Christian was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 250 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 162 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.

Meanwhile, Legacy Charter was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They were outmatched by City of Life Christian Academy and fell 61-6.

Legacy Charter's defeat dropped their record down to 0-5. As for Merritt Island Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 5-1.