Football Preview: Ezekiel Academy Knights vs. East Central HomeSchool Patriots
Two dominant backs in Branden Davis and DaiJon ONeal are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Ezekiel Academy Knights will welcome the East Central HomeSchool Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Ezekiel Academy will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each game than the last.
Ezekiel Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alabama's top teams: Jacksonville Christian Academy, who was ranked tenth in their home state at the time (Ezekiel Academy was ranked seventh). Everything went Ezekiel Academy's way against Jacksonville Christian Academy on Friday as Ezekiel Academy made off with an 80-58 win. The Knights' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Davis was his usual excellent self, rushing for 310 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 17.2 yards per carry. He showed off some serious burst, turning on the afterburners on one carry for 55 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Shaun Taylor, who threw for 200 yards and four touchdowns while completing 77.8% of his passes.
Another reason for the win was Ezekiel Academy's imposing defensive line, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. Leading the way was Noah Jones with three.
Meanwhile, East Central HomeSchool put another one in the bag last Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They slipped by Southern Christian 42-41.
Nikita Getmanshchuk had a dynamite game for East Central HomeSchool, throwing for 305 yards and five touchdowns on only 15 passes, while also rushing for 64 yards. Jaimon ONeal was Getmanshchuk's top target, picking up 163 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
East Central HomeSchool wouldn't let Southern Christian keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Nick Nelson was the leader in that area as all came courtesy of his dominant performance. He also set a new season high mark in total tackles with 12. Another thorn in Southern Christian's side was Judah Bush, who picked up three sacks and made 15 total tackles.
Ezekiel Academy pushed their record up to 3-2 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. As for East Central HomeSchool, their win bumped their record up to 5-0.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Ezekiel Academy has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 315.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like East Central HomeSchool struggles in that department as they've been averaging 245.2. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Ezekiel Academy was able to grind out a solid victory over East Central HomeSchool when the teams last played back in October of 2023, winning 42-34. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was East Central HomeSchool's Dominic Paffumi, who rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 12.0 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Ezekiel Academy to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
