Football Preview: CSTHEA Patriots vs. Tennessee Heat
The CSTHEA Patriots are taking a road trip to take on Tennessee Heat at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. CSTHEA is no doubt hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses.
CSTHEA is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Tennessee's top teams: Christian Community, who was ranked seventh in their home state at the time (CSTHEA was ranked 11th). CSTHEA lost 58-32 to Christian Community on Friday. Even though they lost, the Patriots' still made a splash on offense and bumped their average scoring up to 26.3 points per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from L Piper, who picked up 89 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. He didn't just play on offense: he also picked up 0.5 sacks, forced a fumble, and made six total tackles (3.0 for loss). CSTHEA also got a significant boost from P Jackson, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 127 yards.
Even if they lost, CSTHEA's defensive line still kept up the pressure with three sacks. Leading the way was T Long with 2.5.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Tennessee Heat). They claimed a resounding 80-34 victory over Lancaster Christian Academy at home. Considering Tennessee Heat has won five games by more than 21 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Tennessee Heat's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Elijah Eakin led the charge by throwing for 124 yards and two touchdowns on only ten passes, while also rushing for 42 yards and a touchdown. The dominant performance gave Eakin a new career-high in rushing yards. Another player making a difference was Graham Russell, who picked up 115 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Tennessee Heat was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 241 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Tennessee Heat didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Wyatt Sutton and Caius Schroeder.
CSTHEA's defeat dropped their record down to 1-8. As for Tennessee Heat, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 6-4 record this season.
CSTHEA took a serious blow against Tennessee Heat in their previous meeting back in September, falling 64-30. Can CSTHEA avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
