The Brookstone Cougars will challenge the St. Anne-Pacelli Vikings at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, Brookstone was able to grind out a solid victory over Calvary Christian, taking the game 25-12. The win continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Knights: they've now won three in a row.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Brookstone to victory, but perhaps none more so than Broughton Branch, who threw for 134 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also rushed for 39 yards and one TD. The Cougars' leading receiver Sammie Laboy was Branch's top target yet again, picking up 58 receiving yards and two scores.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Brookstone proved: they limited Calvary Christian to a paltry 1.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Harrison Baker for the heroic effort on defense: he. Brookstone didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 6.9.
Brookstone's defense didn't let Braxton Wilkinson, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. Leading the way was Savon Kelly with 2.5.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for St. Anne-Pacelli, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They took down Calvary Christian 24-7 on Friday. The score was all tied up 0-0 at the break, but the Vikings were the (much) better team in the second half.
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Donovan 'DJ' Colvin and Cameron Carino. Colvin rushed for 121 yards and one touchdown while Carino rushed for 102 yards and one TD. Carino is becoming a predictor of St. Anne-Pacelli's success: when he posts at least 80 rushing yards the team is undefeated (and 0-4 when he doesn't).
Brookstone's victory bumped their record up to 6-1. As for St. Anne-Pacelli, their win bumped their record up to 3-4.
Brookstone was able to grind out a solid victory over St. Anne-Pacelli in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, winning 21-14. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Vikings turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
