Preview: Friendship Christian Commanders vs. Middle Tennessee Christian Cougars
Friendship Christian has enjoyed the comforts of home their last six games, but now they'll head out on the road. After each having a week off, the Friendship Christian Commanders and the Middle Tennessee Christian Cougars will dust off their jerseys to challenge one another at 3:00 p.m. on November 30th. Friendship Christian knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past five contests -- so hopefully Middle Tennessee Christian likes a good challenge.
Friendship Christian had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They really took it to Nashville Christian for the full four quarters, racking up a 56-14 victory at home. Considering Friendship Christian has won ten contests by more than 20 points this season, two weeks ago's blowout was nothing new.
Tyson Wolcott was his usual excellent self, rushing for 228 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 8.8 yards per carry. Wolcott really tore up the turf during one magnificent 83-yard run. Another player making a difference was Dontae Parker, who rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Nashville Christian to a paltry 189 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Friendship Christian's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid the passer out three times before it was all said and done. In that department, Garrett De Araujo Jorge was the leader with two sacks.
Meanwhile, Middle Tennessee Christian had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 38.3 points), and they went ahead and made it five two weeks ago. They walked away with a 35-27 win over Columbia Academy.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Eli Wilson and Montae Baldwin. Wilson had a great game and rushed for 220 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 12.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Baldwin was balling out in the loss, rushing for 164 yards and a touchdown.
Friendship Christian's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 44.6 points per game. As for Middle Tennessee Christian, their win bumped their record up to 11-1.
Thursday's game might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Friendship Christian has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 288.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Middle Tennessee Christian struggles in that department as they've been even better at 300.6 per game. It's looking like Thursday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Friendship Christian couldn't quite finish off Middle Tennessee Christian when the teams last played back in September and fell 16-14. Can Friendship Christian avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
