Ezekiel Academy is 4-0 against Southern Christian since September of 2020, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Ezekiel Academy Knights and the Southern Christian Patriots are set to duel. Ezekiel Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past four matchups -- so hopefully Southern Christian likes a good challenge.
Ezekiel Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alabama's top teams: East Central HomeSchool, who was ranked fifth in their home state at the time (Ezekiel Academy was ranked eighth). Ezekiel Academy was dealt a 61-34 defeat at the hands of East Central HomeSchool last Friday. That makes it the first time this season the Knights have let down their home crowd.
Loss or not, Ezekiel Academy got some senior leadership from Shaun Taylor and John Hodges. Taylor threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns on only 19 passes, while Hodges picked up 193 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Hodges torched the secondary when he pulled down a catch that went for 95 yards.
Meanwhile, Southern Christian entered their contest against Evangel Christian on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Southern Christian had to suffer through a 41-7 loss at the hands of Evangel Christian. The Patriots have struggled against the Lightning recently, as their game on Friday was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Although Southern Christian took the loss, they still got scores from Owen Vaughan and Elijah Bailey.
Ezekiel Academy's defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 3-3. As for Southern Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 4-2.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Ezekiel Academy has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 262.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Southern Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 256.2. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Ezekiel Academy against Southern Christian in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 71-34 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Ezekiel Academy since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
