Tiftarea Academy and Valwood are an even 5-5 against one another since September of 2015, but not for long. The Tiftarea Academy Panthers will stay at home for another week and welcome the Valwood Valiants at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Tiftarea Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 35-21 win over John Milledge Academy.
It was another big night for John Robert Walker, who rushed for 220 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.8 yards per carry, and also threw for 107 yards and a touchdown. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in August.
Tiftarea Academy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 326 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 157 rushing yards in 14 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Valwood made easy work of Frederica Academy on Friday and carried off a 35-14 victory. The result was nothing new for the Valiants, who have now won five matches by 21 points or more so far this season.
Valwood found their leader in freshman Asher Wells, who threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 passes, and also punched in two touchdowns on the ground. Valwood also got a significant boost from Braylon Neal, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 92 yards.
Valwood wouldn't let Frederica Academy keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Valwood can thank Wilkin Moritz and Gavin Chambers for forcing both of them. With that strong performance, Chambers is now averaging an impressive 5.1 total tackles per game. Hudson Paylo was another major factor on D, making 11 total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Valwood pushed their record up to 8-3 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 32.5 points. As for Tiftarea Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 10-1.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Tiftarea Academy has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 257.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Valwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 255.3. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Tiftarea Academy didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Valwood in their previous matchup last Friday, but they still walked away with a 27-21 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Neal, who rushed for 236 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.1 yards per carry. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Tiftarea Academy still be able to contain Neal? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
