Football Preview: Southern Christian Patriots vs. Ezekiel Academy Knights
Southern Christian is 0-4 against Ezekiel Academy since September of 2020 but things could change on Friday. The Southern Christian Patriots and the Ezekiel Academy Knights are set to duel. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Southern Christian is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alabama's top teams: Evangel Christian, who was ranked first in their home state at the time (Southern Christian was ranked sixth). Southern Christian was beaten by Evangel Christian 41-7 on Friday. That makes it the first time this season the Patriots have let down their home crowd.
Although Southern Christian took the loss, they still got scores from Owen Vaughan and Elijah Bailey.
Meanwhile, Ezekiel Academy entered their contest against East Central HomeSchool last Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Ezekiel Academy took a blow against East Central HomeSchool, falling 61-34. It was the first time this season that the Knights let down their fans at home.
Loss or not, Ezekiel Academy got some senior leadership from Shaun Taylor and John Hodges. Taylor threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns on only 19 passes, while Hodges picked up 193 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Hodges torched the secondary when he pulled down a catch that went for 95 yards.
Southern Christian's defeat dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Ezekiel Academy, their loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 3-3.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Southern Christian has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 256.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Ezekiel Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 262.7. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Southern Christian took a serious blow against Ezekiel Academy when the teams last played back in October of 2023, falling 71-34. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Ezekiel Academy's Branden Davis, who rushed for 243 yards and four touchdowns on only ten carries. Now that Southern Christian knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
