The Hickory Grove Christian Lions will face off against the Mount Zion Christian Academy Mighty Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Mount Zion Christian Academy took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Hickory Grove Christian, who comes in off a win.
Hickory Grove Christian took a loss when they played away from home back in September, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Covenant Day 36-7. The result was nothing new for Hickory Grove Christian, who have now won four contests by 27 points or more so far this season.
Hickory Grove Christian's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jaxson Lee, who threw for 171 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 88.9% of his passes. 85 of Lee's passing yards were hauled in by Zach Pierce, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Hickory Grove Christian proved: they limited Covenant Day to a paltry 3.4 yards per carry. The team can thank Jesse Blazi for the heroic effort on defense: he. Hickory Grove Christian didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 5.6.
Jesse Blazi
| 10/03/25 vs Covenant Day | 17 |
| 09/19/25 @ Harrells Christian Academy | 18 |
| 09/05/25 @ South Wake | 10 |
| 08/29/25 vs Cabarrus S | 10 |
| 08/22/25 vs Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy | 11 |
| + 10 more games |
Hickory Grove Christian didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Noah Belote and Blazi. Blazi is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in each of the last 15 games he's played dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Mount Zion Christian Academy unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. They lost 36-16 to Wilson Prep. The game marked the Mighty Warriors' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
The match pitted two dominant signal callers against one another in Sherrad Bennard III and Travon Usher. Usher had a great game and rushed for 194 yards on only 14 carries. Meanwhile, Bennard III was balling out in the loss, rushing for 197 yards on only 11 carries, while also throwing for 137 yards and two TDs on only 12 passes.
Hickory Grove Christian's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 6.3 points on average over those games. As for Mount Zion Christian Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-2.
Everything came up roses for Hickory Grove Christian against Mount Zion Christian Academy in their previous meeting back in September of 2024, as the team secured a 42-0 win. Do the Lions have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Mighty Warriors turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
