Football Game Preview: Ocala Christian Crusaders vs. Saint Francis Catholic Academy Wolves

The Ocala Christian Crusaders will face off against the Saint Francis Catholic Academy Wolves at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Ocala Christian knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past five games -- so hopefully Saint Francis Catholic Academy likes a good challenge.

Ocala Christian is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Florida's top teams: First Academy, who was ranked tenth at the time (Ocala Christian was ranked eighth). The Crusaders put the hurt on the Eagles with a sharp 50-26 victory on Friday. The matchup was close at halftime, but the Crusaders turned on the heat in the second half with 28 points.

Joshua Davis

Rushing Touchdowns (Career)

09/26/25 @ First Academy	5
08/28/25 vs St. John Lutheran	4
09/19/25 vs First Coast Christian	3
09/05/25 vs Sports Leadership & Management	3
10/04/24 vs First Coast Christian	3

Joshua Davis had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 234 yards and five TDs while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. Those five rushing touchdowns gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Vincent Perrella, who rushed for 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only nine carries.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Ocala Christian was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 435 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 215 rushing yards in 14 consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Another reason for the win was Ocala Christian's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Gio Perrella and Troy Wade, who racked up four sacks between them. Wade's rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 100 rushing yards.

Meanwhile, Saint Francis Catholic Academy lost to Florida School for the Deaf & Blind on the road by a 36-18 margin on Thursday. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for the Wolves, who until this game were averaging 12 points allowed.

Despite the loss, Saint Francis Catholic Academy saw an underclassman step up: freshman Carson Long rushed for 69 yards and two scores on only five carries. The Wolves also got a significant boost from Jake Long, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 85 yards.

Ocala Christian's win bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Saint Francis Catholic Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-4.