The John Paul II Catholic Saints will challenge the Liberty Christian Academy Heat at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. John Paul II Catholic is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 31.8 points per game this season.
John Paul II Catholic is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of North Carolina's top teams: Berean Baptist Academy, who was ranked 17th in their home state at the time (John Paul II Catholic was ranked fourth). John Paul II Catholic blew past Berean Baptist Academy, posting a 55-12 win on the road. Considering the Saints have won three matches by more than 34 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
John Paul II Catholic relied on the efforts of Gentry McMinn, who rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns on only five carries, and JT Williams, who rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries. Those 131 rushing yards gave McMinn a new career-high.
Another reason for the win was John Paul II Catholic's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Armando Perez was especially locked on to Berean Baptist Academy's QB and sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, Liberty Christian Academy was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 54-0 to Arendell Parrott Academy, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.
John Paul II Catholic has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season. As for Liberty Christian Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. John Paul II Catholic has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 241.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Liberty Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 164. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for John Paul II Catholic against Liberty Christian Academy when the teams last played back in September of 2023, as the squad secured a 63-6 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for John Paul II Catholic since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
