St. James Academy hasn't had much luck against Mill Valley recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Thunder will challenge the Jaguars at 7:00 p.m. St. James Academy is coming into the game hot, having won their last eight games.
St. James Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They walked away with a 26-14 victory over Spring Hill.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead St. James Academy to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jake House, who rushed for 108 yards and a pair of scores. The team also got some help courtesy of John Hornback, who threw for 119 yards and one TD.
St. James Academy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. Billy Burns was the real danger to the passing game, picking up two interceptions all by himself. Another thorn in Spring Hill's side was Burns, who made four total tackles (1.0 for loss) and snagged two interceptions.
Meanwhile, Mill Valley faced Saint Thomas Aquinas in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Jaguars slipped by the Saints 28-27.
Mill Valley's win came from a few key players St. James Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Blake Jay, who rushed for 109 yards and one touchdown on only 14 carries, and also threw for 133 yards and one TD while completing 87.5% of his passes. Max Piva was in the mix too, providing Mill Valley with two scores.
St. James Academy's record now sits at 9-1. As for Mill Valley, their record is now 8-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. St. James Academy has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 206.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mill Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 373.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
St. James Academy might still be hurting after the 27-7 loss they got from Mill Valley in their previous matchup back in September of 2019. Thankfully for the Thunder, Quin Wittenauer (who rushed for 94 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also caught one TD) 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.
