For the first time this season, Northside Christian will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will look to defend their home field on Friday against the St. Petersburg Catholic Barons at 7:00 p.m. One thing working in Northside Christian's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last five contests.
Northside Christian lost 56-36 to Calvary Christian on Friday. The loss was the Mustangs' first of the season.
Jayce Jones
| 10/03/25 @ Calvary Christian | 101 |
| 09/19/25 @ Evangelical Christian | 109 |
| 09/12/25 vs Seffner Christian | 145 |
Northside Christian might have lost, but man, Jayce Jones was a machine: he picked up 101 receiving yards and one score, and also punched in one TD on the ground. Jones' receiving production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 101 receiving yards. MacRae Allen was another key pass catcher, picking up 104 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Meanwhile, St. Petersburg Catholic strolled into their game on Friday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They took their game with ease, bagging a 63-0 victory over Victory Christian Academy. Given the Barons' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 83rd, while the Storm are ranked 286th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
St. Petersburg Catholic's win came from a few key players Northside Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Brendan Wright, who picked up 122 receiving yards and a pair of TDs, and also rushed for 30 yards and a pair of scores. Another player making a difference was Chase Burrill, who threw for 247 yards and four touchdowns on only 18 passes.
St. Petersburg Catholic's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB seven times. The heavy lifting was done by Colton Shaw and Alex Malyszko, who racked up five sacks between them. St. Petersburg Catholic got some further help from Courtney Taylor: he picked up a sack, forced one fumble, and made 15 total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Having lost for the first time this season, Northside Christian fell to 5-1. As for St. Petersburg Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 6-0.
The upcoming matchup will be a clash of competing strengths. Northside Christian has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 305.3 passing yards per game. St. Petersburg Catholic, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 171.8 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Everything came up roses for Northside Christian against St. Petersburg Catholic in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, as the squad secured a 30-0 victory. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Barons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
