John Paul II Catholic had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They pulled ahead with a 23-22 photo finish over the Arendell Parrott Academy Patriots on Friday. For the Saints, this counts as revenge for the 52-35 victory the Patriots walked away with the last time they faced one another back in September.
Gentry McMinn was his usual excellent self, rushing for 144 yards and a touchdown. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 131 rushing yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Wright, who rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on only five carries.
John Paul II Catholic was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 251 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 251 rushing yards in four consecutive matches.
John Paul II Catholic wouldn't let Arendell Parrott Academy keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. John Paul II Catholic can thank James Carmack and JT Williams for forcing all of them.
Despite the loss, Arendell Parrott Academy still got an impressive performance from Jaylen Solomon, who rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown. Solomon didn't just play on offense: he also forced a fumble and made four total tackles (2.0 for loss).
John Paul II Catholic pushed their record up to 8-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 13.0 points per game. As for Arendell Parrott Academy, the defeat snapped their winning streak at ten games and leaves them with a 10-2 record.
John Paul II Catholic will be staying on the road on Friday to face off against Cary Christian at 7:00 p.m. John Paul II Catholic is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 33.4 points per game this season. Arendell Parrott Academy does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
