Football Preview: Ezekiel Academy Knights vs. Evangel Christian Lightning
The Ezekiel Academy Knights will head out to face off against the Evangel Christian Lightning at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Ezekiel Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alabama's top teams: Lighthouse HomeSchool, who was ranked 15th in their home state at the time (Ezekiel Academy was ranked seventh). Ezekiel Academy claimed a resounding 40-12 victory over Lighthouse HomeSchool at home.
Ezekiel Academy got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Branden Davis out in front who rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries. Davis' longest rush was for an incredible 97 yards. Tj Beeker got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Evangel Christian). They walked away with a 52-42 victory over Freedom C on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Lightning.
It was another big night for Kemp Swords, who threw for 132 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Will Welch was Swords' top target, picking up 39 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Evangel Christian's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Welch and Eli Black. That's the most rushing yards Welch has posted since back in October of 2023.
Ezekiel Academy now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Evangel Christian, their win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Ezekiel Academy has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 289 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Evangel Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 153.8. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Ezekiel Academy took a serious blow against Evangel Christian in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, falling 64-18. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Swords, who rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries, and also threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns while completing 85.7% of his passes. Now that Ezekiel Academy knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
