John Paul II Catholic has been on the road for two straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will welcome the Faith Christian Patriots at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
John Paul II Catholic is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of North Carolina's top teams: Liberty Christian Academy, who was ranked 16th in their home state at the time (John Paul II Catholic was ranked fourth). John Paul II Catholic claimed a resounding 47-0 win over Liberty Christian Academy. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Saints just coasted through the last quarter.
It was another big night for Gentry McMinn, who rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns on only eight carries. His longest rush was for an incredible 77 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Hiet Zell, who rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
John Paul II Catholic was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 460 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Faith Christian). They took their contest on Thursday with ease, bagging a 68-6 victory over Berean Baptist Academy. The win was nothing new for the Patriots as they're now sitting on five straight.
Austin Gaertner continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 109 rushing yards. Ayden Tyndall made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Faith Christian's defense and their 11 sacks. Brooklyn Dowdy led the group effort, picking up 2.5 of those sacks all by himself. Another thorn in Berean Baptist Academy's side was Paxton Vick, who picked up 1.5 sacks, forced a fumble, and made eight total tackles.
John Paul II Catholic's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-3. As for Faith Christian, their win bumped their record up to 7-3.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. John Paul II Catholic has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 265.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Faith Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 220.5. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for John Paul II Catholic against Faith Christian in their previous meeting back in October of 2022, as the squad secured a 55-13 victory. Does John Paul II Catholic have another victory up their sleeve, or will Faith Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
