Mt. St. Michael Academy is on a six-game streak of home wins, while Cardinal Hayes is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Mt. St. Michael Academy Mountaineers will take on the Cardinal Hayes Cardinals at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Mt. St. Michael Academy had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They simply couldn't be stopped on Saturday as they easily beat Xaverian 34-3 at home. Mt. St. Michael Academy's win was all the more impressive since Xaverian was averaging only 14.08 points allowed on the season.
Carl Shaw was the offensive standout of the matchup as he rushed for 47 yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Hayes faced Iona Prep in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Cardinal Hayes won a contest that couldn't have been any closer, slipping by Iona Prep 30-29.
Their wins bumped Mt. St. Michael Academy to 9-2 and Xaverian to 7-5.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's matchup: Mt. St. Michael Academy has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 150.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Cardinal Hayes struggles in that department as they've been even better at 246.4 per game. It's looking like Thursday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Mt. St. Michael Academy might still be hurting after the 38-18 loss they got from Cardinal Hayes in their previous matchup back in November of 2022. Can Mt. St. Michael Academy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
