Football Game Preview: First Academy Eagles vs. St. John Lutheran Saints

The First Academy Eagles will square off against the St. John Lutheran Saints at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

First Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Florida's top teams: Ocala Christian, who was ranked eighth at the time (First Academy was ranked tenth). The Eagles lost 50-26 to the Crusaders on Friday. The Eagles were up 20-6 in the first quarter but couldn't hold on to the lead.

Rayce Teate

Receiving Yards

09/26/25 vs Ocala Christian	89
08/29/25 @ Liberty Christian Prep	68
08/22/25 vs Saint Francis Catholic Academy	49
09/05/25 vs Academy at the Lakes	35
09/12/25 @ Lake Mary Prep	23

Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Henry Purvis, who threw for 212 yards and three TDs. 89 of those passing yards were hauled in by Rayce Teate, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.

First Academy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Luke Rutzebeck and Logan Stalvey.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask St. John Lutheran). They snuck past Gainesville Christian Community with a 60-56 win on Friday. The Saints haven't had any issues with the Warriors recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.

St. John Lutheran's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-3. As for First Academy, their loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 4-2.

Everything came up roses for First Academy against St. John Lutheran when the teams last played back in September of 2015, as the squad secured a 41-13 victory. In that contest, the Eagles amassed a halftime lead of 20-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.