The Victory Christian Academy Knights will venture away from home to challenge the Mountain Empire Redhawks at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Victory Christian Academy will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
While Victory Christian Academy's victory against O'Farrell Charter wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Knights sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 15-12 win over the Falcons on Friday.
Victory Christian Academy relied on the efforts of Chato Garcia, who rushed for 65 yards and one TD on only nine carries, and Ben Cordova, who picked up 50 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Victory Christian Academy's defense stepped up as well, laying out Dakobi Coleman three times. Nathan Garcia refused to say out of the backfield, picking up three sacks all by himself. Alejandro Rodriguez was another major factor on D, making 13 total tackles.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mountain Empire). They blew past Foothills Christian 54-12 on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Redhawks, who have now won four games by 26 points or more so far this season.
Mountain Empire's win came from a few key players Victory Christian Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Elisha Lashone Robinson, who rushed for 228 yards and three scores while picking up 12.0 yards per carry. He showed off some serious burst, turning on the afterburners on one carry for 52 yards. Amar Mahasin also helped out as he racked up 105 receiving yards.
Mountain Empire was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 297 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Foothills Christian only rushed for 155.
Mountain Empire didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Michael Noble and Mason Hotka. Mountain Empire received some extra help from Maxwell Anderson, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
The victory got Victory Christian Academy back to even at 5-5. As for Mountain Empire, their record is now 8-2.
Saturday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Victory Christian Academy has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 208.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mountain Empire struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 216.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Saturday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Victory Christian Academy and Mountain Empire were almost perfectly matched up when the teams last played back in September, but Victory Christian Academy suffered an agonizing 36-35 defeat. Can the Knights avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
