Football Preview: DePaul Catholic Spartans vs. Pope John XXIII
DePaul Catholic is 9-1 against Pope John XXIII since October of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The DePaul Catholic Spartans will challenge the Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII at 11:00 a.m. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
DePaul Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They took their game with ease, bagging a 41-7 win over Holy Spirit. Considering DePaul Catholic has won six contests by more than 19 points this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
DePaul Catholic can attribute much of their success to Derek Zammit, who threw for 185 yards and three touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes, and Nolan James, who gained 211 total yards and two touchdowns. Zammit is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last five games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Elijah Burress, who picked up 87 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
DePaul Catholic was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 205 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 198 rushing yards in five consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Pope John XXIII entered their tilt with St. John-Vianney on Saturday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They claimed a resounding 48-14 victory over the Lancers.
Tylik Hill continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 245 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 13.6 yards per carry. He was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 55 yards. Luke Irwin was another key player, throwing for 170 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 passes.
DePaul Catholic's win bumped their record up to 10-1. As for Pope John XXIII, their victory bumped their record up to 5-7.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. DePaul Catholic has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 225 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Pope John XXIII struggles in that department as they've been averaging 215.6. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for DePaul Catholic against Pope John XXIII in their previous matchup back in August, as the team secured a 47-15 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for DePaul Catholic since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
