Football Recap: Four Straight Home Victories for Evangel Christian Academy + How To Watch

Evangel Christian Academy had won four straight at home dating back to last season, but on Friday they bumped up to 1-1 to make it five. They blew past the Natchitoches Central Chiefs 63-42. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Eagles' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Louisiana football rankings (they are ranked 26th, while the Chiefs are ranked 99th).

Peyton Houston

Rushing Yards

09/12/25 vs Natchitoches Central	116
09/04/25 @ Neville	73
11/22/24 vs Alexandria	-27
11/14/24 @ Captain Shreve	83
11/07/24 @ Parkway	47
+ 6 more games

Peyton Houston went supernova, throwing for 389 yards and four TDs, while also rushing for 116 yards and one touchdown on only seven carries. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in September of 2024.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Evangel Christian Academy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 372 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Natchitoches Central only rushed for 139 rushing yards.

Another reason for the win was Evangel Christian Academy's imposing defensive line, which managed to get into the backfield for six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Damari Drake and Otis Washington, who racked up four sacks between them. Another thorn in Natchitoches Central's side was Bennett Speer, who made 17 total tackles and defended one pass.

As for Natchitoches Central, their loss dropped their record down to 1-1. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Friday (41), they still had to take the loss.

Despite the loss, Natchitoches Central still got an impressive performance from Owen Smith, who threw for 352 yards and a pair of TDs on only 19 passes, and also rushed for 51 yards and a pair of scores. The Chiefs also got a significant boost from Kelton Howard, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 84 yards.

Evangel Christian Academy has already played their next matchup, a 43-36 victory against Byrd on the 19th. As for Natchitoches Central, they also wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next game, a 42-36 defeat against Captain Shreve on the 19th.