Nashville Christian had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They breezed by the Jackson Christian Eagles to the tune of 62-34 on Friday. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for Nashville Christian, who until this game were averaging 11.33 points allowed.
Jared Curtis was his usual excellent self, throwing for 235 yards and six touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes, and also rushing for 108 yards and a touchdown. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 3.2 passing touchdowns per game. A healthy portion of Curtis' aerial production (104 yards to be exact) went to Zane Crampton, who also brought in two receiving touchdowns.
Nashville Christian was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 295 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Jackson Christian's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Austin Kelley, who threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries. Those 61 rushing yards gave Kelley a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Duece Lawrence, who gained 111 total yards and two touchdowns.
The win (which was Nashville Christian's ninth in a row) raised their record to 11-1. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 49.1 points per game. As for Jackson Christian, their loss ended a 12-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 10-2.
Nashville Christian will get to enjoy the win for a while: their next game is against Columbia Academy at 3:00 p.m. on December 5th. Columbia Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past five matchups -- so hopefully Nashville Christian likes a good challenge. Jackson Christian does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
