Football Preview: Evangel Christian Lightning vs. Ezekiel Academy Knights
The Evangel Christian Lightning will take on the Ezekiel Academy Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Evangel Christian will be looking to keep their nine-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.
Evangel Christian is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alabama's top teams: Freedom C, who was ranked third in their home state at the time (Evangel Christian was ranked first). Evangel Christian walked away with a 52-42 win over Freedom C on Friday. The Lightning's offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Kemp Swords was his usual excellent self, throwing for 132 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Will Welch was Swords' top target, picking up 39 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Evangel Christian's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Welch and Eli Black. That's the most rushing yards Welch has posted since back in October of 2023.
Meanwhile, Ezekiel Academy was fully in charge two weeks ago, breezing past Lighthouse HomeSchool 40-12 at home.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Ezekiel Academy to victory, but perhaps none more so than Branden Davis, who rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries. Davis really tore up the turf during one magnificent 97-yard run. The team also got some help courtesy of Shaun Taylor, who threw for 183 yards and two touchdowns while completing 76.9% of his passes.
Evangel Christian's victory bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Ezekiel Academy, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Evangel Christian has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 153.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Ezekiel Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 289. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Evangel Christian against Ezekiel Academy in their previous matchup back in September of 2023 as the team secured a 64-18 win. In that contest, Evangel Christian amassed a halftime lead of 44-12, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
