The Daniel Lions will be playing in front of their home fans against the Crescent Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Daniel put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They breezed by Pendleton on the road to the tune of 56-28. Given Daniel's advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina football rankings (they are ranked eighth, while Pendleton is ranked 54th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Daniel had a senior duo take command as Kari Bennett gained 228 total yards and four touchdowns and Kolton Chapman threw for 279 yards and a touchdown. Bennett is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last three games he's played. Tremaine Davis jr made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Another reason for the win was Daniel's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for eight sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Dexter Johnson and Jaedyn Young who racked up 4.5 sacks between them.
Meanwhile, Crescent never let their opponents score on Friday. They blew past West-Oak 42-0 at home. The victory was just what Crescent needed coming off of a 41-14 defeat in their prior matchup.
Kiantae Parks was a one-man wrecking crew for Crescent as he rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.8 yards per carry.
Daniel's victory was their sixth straight on the road, which bumped their overall record up to 9-0. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.7 points per game. As for Crescent, their win bumped their record up to 6-3.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Daniel has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 241.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Crescent struggles in that department as they've been averaging 208 per game. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Daniel against Crescent when the teams last played back in October of 2022 as the squad secured a 42-0 win. Does Daniel have another victory up their sleeve, or will Crescent turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
