The Davidson Academy Bears are on the road again on Friday to play the Pope John Paul II Knights at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Davidson Academy's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past St. George's 42-0 on the road. The match marked the Bears' most dominant win of the season so far.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Davidson Academy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 231 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2023.
One reason for the win was Davidson Academy's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for seven sacks. Wes Harper was especially locked on to St. George's QB and sacked him twice. Harper also set a new season high mark in receiving yards with 82.
Meanwhile, in a tight contest that could have gone either way, Pope John Paul II made off with a 27-26 victory over Goodpasture Christian. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee football rankings (they are ranked 92nd, while the Cougars are ranked 208th), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hudson Curlee was a one-man wrecking crew for Pope John Paul II as he picked up 139 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Jackson Vonderharr made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Davidson Academy now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Pope John Paul II, their win ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-3.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Davidson Academy has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 149.6 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Pope John Paul II, though, as they've been averaging only 93. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Davidson Academy took their victory against Pope John Paul II when the teams last played back in September of 2023 by a conclusive 36-15. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Pope John Paul II's Elijah Robb, who rushed for 215 yards and a touchdown. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Davidson Academy to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
