Football Recap: Henry Purvis' Big Game Can't Quite Lead First Academy over Ocala Christian

First Academy managed to keep up with Ocala Christian until halftime on Friday, but things quickly went downhill from there. The Eagles lost 50-26 to the Crusaders. The Eagles were up 20-6 in the first quarter but couldn't hold on to the lead.

Rayce Teate

Receiving Yards

09/26/25 vs Ocala Christian	89
08/29/25 @ Liberty Christian Prep	68
08/22/25 vs Saint Francis Catholic Academy	49
09/05/25 vs Academy at the Lakes	35
09/12/25 @ Lake Mary Prep	23

First Academy's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Henry Purvis, who threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns. A healthy portion of that aerial production (89 yards to be exact) went to Rayce Teate, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.

First Academy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Luke Rutzebeck and Logan Stalvey.

Joshua Davis continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines for Ocala Christian, rushing for 234 yards and five scores while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. Davis also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making five total tackles and defending three passes. Vincent Perrella was another major influence, as he rushed for 95 yards and ran in a TD.

First Academy's defeat was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 4-2. As for Ocala Christian, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 5-2.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. First Academy will challenge St. John Lutheran at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Eagles will be up against the Saints' rather soft defense (which has allowed 57 points per contest), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. As for Ocala Christian, they will take on Saint Francis Catholic Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Wolves' defense has only allowed 12 points per game this season, so the Crusaders' offense will have their work cut out for them.