Two dominant backs in Yoshua McBryde and Cristian Simmons are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The St. Pauls Bulldogs will venture away from home to face off against the South View Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. St. Pauls' defense has only allowed 14.5 points per game this season, so South View's offense will have their work cut out for them.
St. Pauls took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They snuck past Westover with a 31-27 win.
A big part of St. Pauls' victory came down to the chemistry between Antonio Arnold and his top target Malikah Locklear. Arnold threw for 209 yards and two TDs on only 19 passes while Locklear picked up 95 receiving yards and one score. The bulk of those receiving yards came from one huge play: a catch that gained an incredible 62 yards.
St. Pauls didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Aubrey Cobbs and Locklear. Another thorn in Westover's side was Dezhian Roberts, who picked up 1.5 sacks and made seven total tackles (2.5 for loss).
Meanwhile, South View waltzed into their game on Saturday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They breezed past the Eagles to the tune of 54-8. That looming 54-8 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Tigers yet this season.
St. Pauls better focus on containing Jamal Brown and Shamar Moses as the pair were huge in South View's win. Brown punched in two rushing scores, while Moses rushed for 55 yards and one touchdown. The dominant performance also gave Brown a new career-high in passing yards (140).
South View was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 220 rushing yards. They are a perfect 5-0 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
One reason for the win was South View's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Leading the way was Armani Jones with two. South View is undefeated when Jones posts one or more sacks, but 1-3 otherwise. The Tigers received some extra help from Brendan Jones, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
St. Pauls' record is now 7-1. As for South View, their record now sits at 5-3.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. St. Pauls has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 183.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like South View struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 234.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
