The Mountain Empire Redhawks will face off against the Victory Christian Academy Knights at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Mountain Empire is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their game on Friday with ease, bagging a 54-12 victory over Foothills Christian. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Mountain Empire got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Elisha Lashone Robinson out in front who rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 12.0 yards per carry. Lashone Robinson showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 52 yards. Mountain Empire also got help from Amar Mahasin, who showed off his sure hands for 105 receiving yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Mountain Empire was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 297 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Foothills Christian only rushed for 155.
Mountain Empire didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Michael Noble and Mason Hotka. Mountain Empire received some extra help from Maxwell Anderson, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Meanwhile, Victory Christian Academy waltzed into their contest on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They had just enough and edged out the Falcons 15-12.
Mountain Empire better focus on containing Chato Garcia and Ben Cordova as the pair were huge in Victory Christian Academy's win. Garcia rushed for 65 yards and one TD on only nine carries, while Cordova picked up 50 receiving yards and one score.
One reason for the win was Victory Christian Academy's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. In fact, those sacks all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Nathan Garcia. Victory Christian Academy is 3-1 when Garcia posts one or more sacks, but 2-4 otherwise. The Knights got some further help from Alejandro Rodriguez: he made 13 total tackles.
Mountain Empire's record is now 8-2. As for Victory Christian Academy, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
Saturday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Mountain Empire has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 216.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Victory Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 208.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Saturday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Mountain Empire won a contest that couldn't have been any closer in their previous meeting back in September, slipping by Victory Christian Academy 36-35. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Garcia, who rushed for 112 yards and one touchdown on only 11 carries, and also threw for 115 yards and a pair of TDs. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Redhawks still be able to contain Garcia? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
