The Central Red Devils will square off against the IMG Academy Ascenders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Central sitting on 18 straight victories dating back to last season and IMG Academy on four.
Central is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alabama's top teams: Enterprise, who was ranked 15th in their home state at the time (Central was ranked third). Central walked away with a 34-21 win over Enterprise on Friday.
Tristan Williams continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 224 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.7 yards per carry. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 111.4 rushing yards per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Andrew Alford, who threw for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 265 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
Meanwhile, IMG Academy's offense rose to the challenge against a Mustangs defense that boasted an average of only 16 points allowed on Friday. IMG Academy claimed a resounding 49-6 victory over Mandarin at home. The result was nothing new for the Ascenders, who have now won three matchups by 21 points or more so far this season.
IMG Academy found their leader in underclassman Jayden Wade, who threw for 88 yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in a rushing score. Another player making a difference was Ty Hawkins, who rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Central pushed their record up to 5-0 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. As for IMG Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 4-1.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Central has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 198.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like IMG Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 202.4. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Central ended up a good deal behind IMG Academy in their previous matchup back in September of 2022, losing 41-26. Thankfully for Central, Evan Dickens (who rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.2 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
