Football Preview: St. David's Warriors vs. Rocky Mount Academy Eagles
St. David and Rocky Mount Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2015, but not for long. The St. David's Warriors will face off against the Rocky Mount Academy Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
St. David's is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of North Carolina's top teams: Halifax Academy, who was ranked fourth in their home state at the time (St. David's was ranked seventh). St. David's took a 42-35 hit to the loss column at the hands of Halifax Academy on Friday.
St. David's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Benjamin Young Iii, who rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 carries, and Hutch Marshall, who picked up 144 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Young Iii's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 131 rushing yards dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, while Rocky Mount Academy put up plenty of points on Friday, the same can't be said for Liberty Christian Academy. Rocky Mount Academy breezed by Liberty Christian Academy on the road to the tune of 65-0. The Eagles' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Rocky Mount Academy to victory, but perhaps none more so than Gehrig Miller, who rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 101 yards and two touchdowns while completing 77.8% of his passes. Miller was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 56 yards. Cam Dawkins was another key player, rushing for 106 yards and two touchdowns.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Rocky Mount Academy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 233 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
St. David's defeat dropped their record down to 3-2. As for Rocky Mount Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 2-4.
St. David's was taken down by Rocky Mount Academy 62-19 in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. Can St. David's avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
