Football Preview: Ontario Christian Knights vs. Aquinas Falcons
Ontario Christian hasn't had much luck against Aquinas recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Ontario Christian Knights will face off against the Aquinas Falcons at 7:00 p.m. Both are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Aquinas is hoping to do what Bishop Union couldn't last Friday: put an end to Ontario Christian's winning streak, which now stands at three games. Ontario Christian never let Bishop Union onto the board and left with a 26-0 win. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 173rd, while the Broncos are ranked 374th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ontario Christian's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Zander Lewis, who gained 172 total yards and a touchdown, and Dillon Sykes, who picked up 120 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Lewis' rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 120 rushing yards dating back to last season. Daniel Mielke Ii was another key player, having thrown for 257 yards and two touchdowns.
Ontario Christian wouldn't let Bishop Union keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Ontario Christian can thank Jacob Ericson and Kellan Kirkpatrick for forcing both of them.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Aquinas). They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Xavier Prep 49-14 at home. Aquinas' victory was all the more impressive since the Saints were averaging only 17.8 points allowed on the season.
Malachi Jones and Champ Brown were among the main playmakers for Aquinas as the former rushed for 77 yards and three touchdowns and the latter rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries. That's the most rushing yards Jones has posted since back in October of 2023.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Aquinas was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 270 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Ontario Christian now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Aquinas, they now also have a winning record of 3-2.
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Lewis and Brown. Lewis has put up some stellar numbers this year, and currently owns excellent season averages 169.6 rushing yards per game this season. For his part, Brown has averaged 93 rushing yards per game this season.
Ontario Christian might still be hurting after the 50-30 defeat they got from Aquinas in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. Will Ontario Christian have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
