Two dominant wideouts in Braeden Robinson and Claudio Torres are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Lutheran South Academy Pioneers will venture away from home to face off against the St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Lutheran South Academy took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They took their game with ease, bagging a 49-13 victory over Cypress Christian. Given the Pioneers' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 413th, while the Warriors are ranked 834th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lutheran South Academy's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Robinson, who picked up 113 receiving yards and a touchdown, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Robinson's longest reception was for an incredible 76 yards. Another rusher making a difference was Cade Griffin, who rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries.
Meanwhile, St. Joseph Academy came tearing into Friday's matchup with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 38 points) and they left with even more momentum. They really took it to the Yellowjackets for the full four quarters, racking up a 53-9 victory. The Bloodhounds might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matches by 20 points or more this season.
Torres was his usual excellent self, picking up 126 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 92 yards and two touchdowns. He didn't just play on offense: he also made four total tackles (2.0 for loss) and defended two passes. Another player making a difference was Andre Cristiano, who rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries.
St. Joseph Academy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 216 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 178 rushing yards in six consecutive contests.
Lutheran South Academy pushed their record up to 6-4 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 46.2 points per game. As for St. Joseph Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 9-1.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Lutheran South Academy has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 180.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like St. Joseph Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 289.9. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Lutheran South Academy came up short against St. Joseph Academy when the teams last played back in November of 2020, falling 56-48. Thankfully for Lutheran South Academy, Melik Kauachi (who rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns, and also picked up 86 receiving yards and a touchdown) 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
