Russell Christian Academy has played every game this season on their home field, but they'll have to hit the road on Friday. They are headed away from home for the first time to face off against the Jacksonville Christian Academy Thunder at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Russell Christian Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Tuscaloosa Christian, who was ranked 18th at the time (Russell Christian Academy was ranked third). Russell Christian Academy breezed by Tuscaloosa Christian at home to the tune of 59-20 on Friday. With Russell Christian Academy ahead 43-12 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
It was another big night for Ty Jones, who rushed for 220 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 9.2 yards per carry, and also threw for 72 yards and a touchdown. He didn't just play on offense: he also picked up a sack and made ten total tackles (1.0 for loss). Another player making a difference was Bo Morphis, who threw for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Russell Christian Academy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 269 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 236 rushing yards in six consecutive matches dating back to last season.
One reason for the win was Russell Christian Academy's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Decker Mckenzie was especially locked on to Tuscaloosa Christian's QB and sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville Christian Academy's offense rose to the challenge against a Eagles defense that boasted an average of only 14 points allowed on Friday. Jacksonville Christian Academy took their contest on the road with ease, bagging a 38-6 victory over Victory Christian. Winning may never get old, but the Thunder sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Noah Lee was his usual excellent self, throwing for 259 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 10.8 yards per attempt.
Russell Christian Academy pushed their record up to 4-0 with that win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Jacksonville Christian Academy, their record now sits at 4-1.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Russell Christian Academy has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 283.8 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Jacksonville Christian Academy has preferred to attack from the air: they average 279.8 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Russell Christian Academy took a serious blow against Jacksonville Christian Academy in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, falling 37-6. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Lee, who threw for 328 yards and two touchdowns while completing 76.9% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Now that Russell Christian Academy knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
