Preview: Antonian Prep Apaches vs. Parish Episcopal Panthers
Antonian Prep has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the Parish Episcopal Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Antonian Prep had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They claimed a resounding 55-28 win over Trinity Christian at home. The score was close at the half, but Antonian Prep pulled away in the second half with 42 points.
Antonian Prep's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jayce Toscano led the charge by throwing for 311 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 12.0 yards per attempt, and also punching in a touchdown on the ground. Another player making a difference was Landon Prouty, who rushed for 169 yards and three touchdowns on only ten carries.
Meanwhile, Parish Episcopal had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 30.5 points), and they went ahead and made it seven on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Concordia Lutheran 48-6 at home. Given Parish Episcopal's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 134th, while Concordia Lutheran is ranked 618th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Parish Episcopal's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Maddux Reid, who gained 102 total yards and three touchdowns, and Sawyer Anderson, who threw for 276 yards and five touchdowns while completing 85% of his passes. Anderson hasn't dropped below three passing touchdowns for seven straight games.
Antonian Prep has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-2 record this season. As for Parish Episcopal, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-3.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Antonian Prep has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 182.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Parish Episcopal struggles in that department as they've been averaging 157.6 per game. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Antonian Prep took a serious blow against Parish Episcopal when the teams last played back in November of 2018, falling 56-14. Thankfully for Antonian Prep, Preston Stone (who threw for 341 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 11.0 yards per attempt, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
