The Macon-East Montgomery Academy Knights will take on the Springwood Wildcats on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Macon-East Montgomery Academy has ten straight wins, Springwood has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Macon-East Montgomery Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alabama's top teams: Escambia Academy, who was ranked fourth at the time (Macon-East Montgomery Academy was ranked second). The Knights skirted past the Cougars 28-26. The 28-point effort marked the Knights' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Macon-East Montgomery Academy found their leader in sophomore Brandon Fitch, who threw for 151 yards and three touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes, and also punched in one TD on the ground. Fitch also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making three total tackles and defending two passes. Conner Wallace was another key player, picking up 67 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
Meanwhile, Springwood came up short against Snook Christian Academy two weeks ago and fell 40-28.
Macon-East Montgomery Academy will have to keep a close watch on Adam Baltes and Remington Gauntt, a pair of players who had a big impact on Springwood's prior game. Baltes threw for 129 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Gauntt picked up 84 receiving yards and two TDs. Gauntt showed off some serious burst, cutting upfield on a catch for 58 yards. Tucker Sides got in on the action as well, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Springwood's defeat dropped their record down to 3-7. As for Macon-East Montgomery Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 10-0.
Thursday's game might be decided on the ground. Macon-East Montgomery Academy has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 275.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Springwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 166.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Macon-East Montgomery Academy against Springwood in their previous meeting back in October, as the team secured a 50-8 win. In that contest, the Knights amassed a halftime lead of 43-8, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Thursday.
