The Bell Creek Academy Panthers will face off against the First Academy Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing isn't great for Bell Creek Academy: they have been struggling with three straight losses at home, while First Academy has snatched up four consecutive wins on the road.
Bell Creek Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Florida's top teams: Academy at the Lakes, who was ranked tenth at the time (Bell Creek Academy was ranked 15th). The Panthers came out on top against the Wildcats by a score of 24-14 on Friday.
Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but First Academy ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They skirted past Geneva Classical Academy 30-28. Things were looking grim for the Eagles in the first quarter (they were down by 22) but they stormed back to get the contest.
First Academy's win came from a few key players Bell Creek Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Rayce Teate, who picked up 85 receiving yards and one TD, and also punched in one touchdown on the ground. He also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making five total tackles and defending two passes in addition to snagging an interception. Henry Purvis was another key player, throwing for 175 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 73.7% of his passes.
First Academy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Teate and Luke Rutzebeck. First Academy got some further help from Logan Stalvey: he picked up two sacks, made nine total tackles, and defended two passes.
First Academy's win bumped their record up to 6-3. As for Bell Creek Academy, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
Bell Creek Academy beat First Academy 10-0 in their previous meeting back in September of 2021. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
