The Mount Paran Christian Eagles will take on the Mount Vernon Mustangs at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
Mount Paran Christian is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Landmark Christian on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Eagles lost 45-24 to the War Eagles. The Eagles were down 38-17 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Although Mount Paran Christian took the loss, they still got scores from Easton George, Harris Meers, and Eli Hewatt.
Meanwhile, Mount Vernon earned a 24-17 victory over King's Ridge Christian on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Mustangs.
Mount Vernon's receiving core played a big role in the win, headlined by Keon Clealand and Taurean Rawlins. Clealand rushed for 134 yards and one TD while picking up 7.4 yards per carry while Rawlins picked up 129 receiving yards and one touchdown. Rawlins' receiving production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 100 receiving yards.
Mount Vernon was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 238 rushing yards. They are a perfect 3-0 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
One reason for the win was Mount Vernon's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Ethan Siggers refused to say out of the backfield, picking up two sacks all by himself. Another thorn in King's Ridge Christian's side was Siggers, who picked up two sacks and made eight total tackles.
Mount Paran Christian dropped their record down to 5-4 with the loss, which was their fourth straight at home. As for Mount Vernon, their win bumped their record up to 4-5.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Mount Paran Christian has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 212.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mount Vernon struggles in that department as they've been averaging 171.3 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Mount Paran Christian was dealt a bruising 44-6 defeat at the hands of Mount Vernon in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. Thankfully for the Eagles, Sam Nazarian (who threw for 243 yards and three touchdowns while completing 90% of his passes, and also punched in a pair of scores on the ground) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
