Football Preview: Claude Mustangs vs. San Jacinto Christian Academy Patriots
Claude has gone 3-0 against San Jacinto Christian Academy recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Claude Mustangs will face off against the San Jacinto Christian Academy Patriots at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Claude will bounce into Friday's contest after beating Groom, who they hadn't topped in four consecutive meetings. Claude sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 64-62 victory over Groom last Friday. The Mustangs' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Claude's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Holden Tice, who threw for 211 yards and four touchdowns on only 19 passes, and Thomas Slack, who gained 149 total yards and three touchdowns. What's more, Tice also racked up 61 rushing yards, the mosthe's had since back in September of 2023.
Claude's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Korbin Jackson, Brady Shelton, and Shelton picked up one apiece. With that strong performance, Jackson is now averaging an impressive 101.8 receiving yards per game.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Claude was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 224 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for San Jacinto Christian Academy, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They blew past Lazbuddie 56-7 at home on Friday. The win was some much needed relief for the Patriots as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak dating back to last season.
Sy Potter had a dynamite game for San Jacinto Christian Academy, rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns.
The victory (which was Claude's third in a row) raised their record to 3-1. As for San Jacinto Christian Academy, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Claude has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 182.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like San Jacinto Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 221.5. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Claude didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against San Jacinto Christian Academy in their previous meeting back in September of 2016, but they still walked away with a 24-20 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was San Jacinto Christian Academy's Cody Konnecke, who rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Claude to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
