Football Game Preview: St. John Lutheran Saints vs. First Academy Eagles

The St. John Lutheran Saints will head out on the road to face off against the First Academy Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. St. John Lutheran has given up an average of 57 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

St. John Lutheran took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They snuck past Gainesville Christian Community with a 60-56 victory. The win was all the more spectacular given the Saints' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 496th, while the Warriors are ranked 24th).

Meanwhile, First Academy managed to keep up with Ocala Christian until halftime on Friday, but things quickly went downhill from there. The Eagles came up short against the Crusaders, falling 50-26. The Eagles were up 20-6 in the first quarter but couldn't hold on to the lead.

St. John Lutheran will need to focus on slowing down Henry Purvis, one of several First Academy players who made an impact when they last played. He threw for 212 yards and three TDs. A healthy portion of that aerial production (89 yards to be exact) went to Rayce Teate, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.

First Academy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Luke Rutzebeck and Logan Stalvey.

First Academy's loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 4-2. As for St. John Lutheran, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.

St. John Lutheran took a serious blow against First Academy in their previous matchup back in September of 2015, falling 41-13. Thankfully for the Saints, Sandy Edwards (who rushed for 163 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 9.6 yards per carry, and also picked up 56 receiving yards and one score) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.