Two dominant signal callers in Keller Stocks and Hunter Hochbaum are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Mt. Zion Braves will head out to square off against the Mater Dei Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Mt. Zion is coming into the game hot, having won their last six games.
On Friday, Mt. Zion beat Taylorville 25-12. Given the Braves' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 59th, while the Tornadoes are ranked 209th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mt. Zion can attribute much of their success to JC Anderson, who gained 67 total yards and two touchdowns, and Kellen Bollhorst, who rushed for 104 yards.
Mt. Zion's run defense was locked in: Taylorville could only muster 2.8 yards per carry. While three picked up at least five total tackles, Brody Lipa stood above the rest. He picked up 50 receiving yards. Mt. Zion's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.56 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 7.33 on average over their last five games.
Mt. Zion's defense didn't let Cameron Smith, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. Kalvin Becker was especially locked on to Taylorville's QB and sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mater Dei). They put the hurt on St. Teresa with a sharp 65-39 victory on Friday. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Knights had established a 24-point advantage.
Mater Dei's win came from a few key players Mt. Zion will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Bodie Brockmeier, who rushed for 77 yards and one touchdown, and also caught one TD. Another player making a difference was Reed Pingsterhaus, who picked up 99 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
Mt. Zion's record now sits at 7-1. As for Mater Dei, their record is now 3-5.
Mt. Zion strolled past Mater Dei when the teams last played back in October of 2024 by a score of 56-37. Will the Braves repeat their success, or do the Knights have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
