Park Place Christian Academy is 0-1 against Newton County Academy since August of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Park Place Christian Academy Crusaders will look to defend their home field against the Newton County Academy Generals at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Last Friday, Park Place Christian Academy faced Kemper Academy in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Park Place Christian Academy took their contest on the road with ease, bagging a 64-30 victory over Kemper Academy.
Park Place Christian Academy's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Baker Craig, who rushed for 266 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 15.6 yards per carry, and also picked up 65 receiving yards. Craig's longest rush was for an incredible 95 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Peyton Bray, who rushed for 187 yards while picking up 10.4 yards per carry.
Meanwhile, Newton County Academy had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 29 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They skirted past Christian Collegiate Academy 33-30. The score was all tied up 14-14 at the break, but Newton County Academy was the better team in the second half.
Hunter Scarbrough continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 151 yards and two touchdowns, while also picking up 75 receiving yards. Scarbrough is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last five games he's played. Ty Thrash was another key contributor, throwing for 120 yards and two touchdowns on only ten passes.
Park Place Christian Academy's win ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-5. As for Newton County Academy, their victory was their eighth straight at home (dating back to last season), bumping their overall record up to 10-1.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Park Place Christian Academy has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 163.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Newton County Academy struggles in that department as they've been even better at 238.1 per game. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Park Place Christian Academy was taken down by Newton County Academy 42-0 in their previous meeting back in August of 2014. Will Park Place Christian Academy have more luck at home instead of on the road?
