The West Bladen Knights will challenge the American Leadership Academy-Johnston Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with nine losses in a row dating back to last season, West Bladen finally turned things around against East Columbus two weeks ago. They walked away with a 26-19 victory over the Gators. The Knights' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for American Leadership Academy-Johnston, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 38-21 win over South Wake on Saturday. The Patriots pushed the score to 30-7 by the end of the third, a deficit the Lions cut but never quite recovered from.
American Leadership Academy-Johnston's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Symir Ray, who rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries. Another passer making a difference was Ian Wands, who threw for 129 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes.
Another reason for the win was American Leadership Academy-Johnston's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for seven sacks. South Wake's QB won't forget Chris Ayala anytime soon given he sacked him three times. Ayala also set a new season high mark in total tackles with eight. American Leadership Academy-Johnston got some further help from Jah'Kese Bodrick: he made three total tackles and defended three passes in addition to snagging an interception which he returned one-yard for a touchdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, American Leadership Academy-Johnston was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 311 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 281 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.
West Bladen's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-3. As for American Leadership Academy-Johnston, their victory ended a four-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 4-1.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
