Football Preview: North Florida Christian Eagles vs. St. John Paul II Panthers
After three games on the road, North Florida Christian is heading back home. They will welcome the St. John Paul II Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Last Friday, North Florida Christian ended up a good deal behind Valwood and lost 28-10. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 445th in Florida, while the Valiants are ranked 199th in Georgia).
Despite the loss, North Florida Christian saw an underclassman step up: Marcus Rosier forced a fumble and made 14 total tackles. Arius Burt showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 51 yards.
North Florida Christian wouldn't let Valwood keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. North Florida Christian can thank Rosier and Jaxon Gustafson for forcing both of them. Rosier is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last three games he's played.
Meanwhile, St. John Paul II was not able to break out of their rough patch last Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They came up short against IMG Academy White, falling 48-27. The match was a 21-21 toss-up at halftime, but the Panthers couldn't quite close it out.
Gavin Ford put forth a good effort for the losing side as he threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns. What's more, he also racked up 15 rushing yards, the mosthe's had since back in October of 2023. Gavin Yates-Lyons also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
North Florida Christian dropped their record down to 1-4 with the loss, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for St. John Paul II, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.
North Florida Christian was able to grind out a solid victory over St. John Paul II in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, winning 21-14. Will North Florida Christian repeat their success, or does St. John Paul II have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
