North Florida Christian has been on the road for three straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will host the St. John Paul II Panthers at 7:00 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Last Friday, North Florida Christian lost to Valwood on the road by a 28-10 margin. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' football rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 445th in Florida, while the Valiants are ranked 199th in Georgia).
Despite the defeat, North Florida Christian saw an underclassman step up: Marcus Rosier forced a fumble and made 14 total tackles. Arius Burt showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 51 yards.
Meanwhile, St. John Paul II was not able to break out of their rough patch last Friday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They lost 48-27 to IMG Academy White. The matchup was a 21-21 toss-up at halftime, but the Panthers couldn't quite close it out.
The losing side was boosted by Gavin Ford, who threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns. What's more, he also racked up 15 rushing yards, the mosthe's had since back in October of 2023. Gavin Yates-Lyons also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
North Florida Christian's defeat was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-4. As for St. John Paul II, their loss dropped their record down to 1-3.
North Florida Christian beat St. John Paul II 21-14 when the teams last played back in November of 2023. Will North Florida Christian repeat their success, or does St. John Paul II have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
