The Aquinas Fightin' Irish will venture away from home to challenge the Academy of Richmond County Musketeers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 1,017 yards in their previous games.
On Friday, Aquinas came up short against West Laurens and fell 49-42. The Fightin' Irish gained 187 more yards on the day, but it was the Raiders that made the best use of them.
Christian Kates
| 10/24/25 vs West Laurens | 147 |
| 09/05/25 @ Hephzibah | 121 |
| 10/17/25 @ Baldwin | 111 |
| 08/15/25 vs Athens Academy | 85 |
| 10/10/25 vs Harlem | 84 |
Despite the loss, Aquinas got top-tier performance from Jack Rhodes, who threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns, and also rushed for 181 yards and one TD. 147 of Rhodes' passing yards were hauled in by Christian Kates, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Meanwhile, after only seven points in their last contest, Academy of Richmond County made sure to put some points up on the board against Hephzibah on Friday. The Musketeers breezed past the Rebels to the tune of 41-7. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 28-7.
Aquinas better keep an eye on Carson Hand. He was instrumental in Academy of Richmond County's win, throwing for 169 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 40 yards. Those 40 rushing yards gave Hand a new career-high. Mykheal Smith was another key player, gaining 72 total yards and a touchdown.
Academy of Richmond County's run defense was locked in: Hephzibah could only muster 2.5 yards per carry. The team can thank David Dunn III for the heroic effort on defense: he. Academy of Richmond County's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.88 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 5.83 on average over their last five games.
Academy of Richmond County didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Shyeem Brown and Chase Caldwell.
Academy of Richmond County pushed their record up to 4-5 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 47.0 points over those games. As for Aquinas, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-3.
Everything came up roses for Aquinas against Academy of Richmond County when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 33-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Fightin' Irish since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
