Two dominant backs in Joseph Morse and Gregory Lihan are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The King Academy Knights will square off against the Jefferson Davis Academy Raiders on Friday. King Academy will come into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
King Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of South Carolina's top teams: Laurens Academy, who was ranked third at the time (King Academy was ranked first). The Knights put the hurt on the Crusaders with a sharp 44-22 victory last Friday. The result was nothing new for the Knights, who have now won eight games by 20 points or more so far this season.
Elijah Hutto
| 10/31/25 @ Laurens Academy | 39 |
| 08/22/25 vs Wardlaw Academy | 38 |
| 09/26/25 @ Wardlaw Academy | 23 |
| 09/12/25 @ Newberry Academy | 4 |
| 09/05/25 @ Richard Winn Academy | -2 |
Elijah Hutto had an outrageously good game as he threw for 164 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes, and also rushed for 39 yards and one score. Those 39 rushing yards gave him a new career-high.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: King Academy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 254 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Laurens Academy only rushed for 144.
Meanwhile, Jefferson Davis Academy had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They had just enough and edged out Wardlaw Academy 44-42. The win continues a trend for the Raiders in their matchups with the Patriots: they've now won three in a row.
A big part of Jefferson Davis Academy's victory came down to the chemistry between Dalton Nix and his top target Harrison Ray. Nix threw for 186 yards and five TDs on only 15 passes while Ray picked up 134 receiving yards and three scores. Ray's longest reception was for an impressive 55 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per catch total.
Jefferson Davis Academy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Landon Williams and Reece Still.
Jefferson Davis Academy's win bumped their record up to 8-3. As for King Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 10-0.
King Academy took a serious blow against Jefferson Davis Academy in their previous matchup back in November of 2023, falling 51-6. Thankfully for the Knights, James Grubbs (who rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns on only eight carries) 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
