Redding Christian will challenge Etna at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Redding Christian's favor as the squad sits on six straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Etna has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.
Redding Christian is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Fall River: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Lions blew the Bulldogs out of the water with a 49-14 final score. The Lions might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by 20 points or more this season.
Redding Christian's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Levi Putnam, who rushed for 157 yards and three scores while picking up 9.8 yards per carry. Putnam also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making three total tackles and defending one pass. Another signal caller making a difference was Wyatt Shaw, who threw for 283 yards and four touchdowns while completing 86.7% of his passes.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Redding Christian's defense and their five sacks. In that department, Brodie Ogden was the leader with two. Redding Christian got some further help from Zack Wakeman: he picked up a sack and made 15 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Etna ended up a good deal behind Mt. Shasta on Friday and lost 28-12. The Lions were down 28-6 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Redding Christian will need to focus on slowing down Chance Perez, one of several Etna players who made an impact when they last played. He picked up 107 receiving yards and one TD.
Redding Christian's victory bumped their record up to 7-0. As for Etna, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-6.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Redding Christian has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 165.6 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Etna, though, as they've been averaging only 71.7 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Everything came up roses for Redding Christian against Etna in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, as the team secured a 29-0 win. Does Redding Christian have another victory up their sleeve, or will Etna turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
