King Academy and Laurens Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2017, but not for long. The Knights will venture away from home to take on the Crusaders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as King Academy comes in on nine and Laurens Academy on four.
King Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of South Carolina's top teams: Newberry Academy, who was ranked tenth at the time (King Academy was ranked first). The Knights simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Newberry Academy 48-6. The result was nothing new for the Knights, who have now won seven games by 20 points or more so far this season.
Joseph Morse
| 10/24/25 vs Newberry Academy | 2 |
| 10/10/25 vs Richard Winn Academy | 5 |
| 09/26/25 @ Wardlaw Academy | 3 |
| 09/19/25 vs Laurens Academy | 5 |
| 09/12/25 @ Newberry Academy | 2 |
King Academy found their leader in sophomore Joseph Morse, who rushed for 79 yards and two scores on only 11 carries. Morse has been hot, having posted two or more rushing touchdowns the last five times he's played.
King Academy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Tucker McGinty, Jackson Hutto, and Luke Harvey picked up one apiece. King Academy received some extra help from Morse, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Laurens Academy). They strolled past Richard Winn Academy with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 78-64.
Laurens Academy's win came from a few key players King Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Caleb Hardy, who rushed for 368 yards and four TDs while picking up 15.3 yards per carry, and also picked up 152 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He didn't just play on offense: he also forced one fumble and made 17 total tackles (5.5 for loss). Ethan Collins was another key player, rushing for 156 yards and three scores on only seven carries.
Laurens Academy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 613 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since the start of last season.
King Academy's record now sits at 9-0. As for Laurens Academy, their record is now 8-1.
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Morse and Hardy. Morse just won't slow down this season and has run in 23 touchdowns while averaging 169.9 rushing yards per game. Hardy has been a dominant force too and has run in 11 touchdowns while averaging 130.7 rushing yards per game.
King Academy took their win against Laurens Academy in their previous matchup back in September by a conclusive 60-34 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
