The Carver Panthers will take on the Holy Innocents Episcopal Golden Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Carver will come into the matchup with an undefeated record on the line.
On Friday, Carver got the win against KIPP Atlanta Collegiate by a conclusive 35-14. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by 21 points or more this season.
Carver got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Corey Fletcher out in front who threw for 183 yards and one TD on only 17 passes. Another player making a difference was Gavin Hill, who gained 118 total yards.
Carver didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited KIPP Atlanta Collegiate to a completion percentage of just 50%. The team can thank Terrious Favors for the heroic effort on defense: he. Carver has been improving in that area: they had allowed a completion percentage of 0.65 earlier this season, but they've only allowed one of 0.65 in their last three games.
Carver didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Favors. Another thorn in KIPP Atlanta Collegiate's side was Michael Johnson Jr., who made five total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Holy Innocents Episcopal entered their game against Hapeville Charter on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Golden Bears fell just short of the Hornets by a score of 20-17. The Golden Bears were up 14-0 in the third quarter but couldn't hold on to the lead.
Although Holy Innocents Episcopal took the loss, they still got scores from Denim Stevens and Aj Donnelly.
Carver's win bumped their record up to 7-0. As for Holy Innocents Episcopal, their defeat was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 5-2.
Thursday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Carver has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 187.6 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Holy Innocents Episcopal, though, as they've been averaging only 91.1 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Everything came up roses for Carver against Holy Innocents Episcopal in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 50-0 victory. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Golden Bears have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
