Two dominant backs in DaiJon ONeal and Branden Davis are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The East Central HomeSchool Patriots will face off against the Ezekiel Academy Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
East Central HomeSchool is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alabama's top teams: Southern Christian, who was ranked ninth in their home state at the time (East Central HomeSchool was ranked eighth). East Central HomeSchool won a matchup that couldn't have been any closer, slipping by Southern Christian 42-41. The win was just business as usual for East Central HomeSchool, who after five games remain undefeated this season.
Nikita Getmanshchuk went supernova for East Central HomeSchool, throwing for 305 yards and five touchdowns on only 15 passes, while also rushing for 64 yards. Jaimon ONeal was Getmanshchuk's top target, picking up 163 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
East Central HomeSchool wouldn't let Southern Christian keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Nick Nelson was the leader in that area as all came courtesy of his dominant performance. He also set a new season high mark in total tackles with 12. Judah Bush was another major factor on D, picking up three sacks and making 15 total tackles.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Ezekiel Academy). They were the clear victor by an 80-58 margin over Jacksonville Christian Academy on Friday.
Davis continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 310 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 17.2 yards per carry. He was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 55 yards. Shaun Taylor was another key player, throwing for 200 yards and four touchdowns while completing 77.8% of his passes.
Another reason for the win was Ezekiel Academy's imposing defensive line, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. Noah Jones was especially locked on to Jacksonville Christian Academy's QB and sacked him three times.
East Central HomeSchool's victory bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Ezekiel Academy, their win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 3-2.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. East Central HomeSchool has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 245.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Ezekiel Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 315.8. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
East Central HomeSchool came up short against Ezekiel Academy in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, falling 42-34. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Davis, who rushed for 236 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 13.1 yards per carry. Now that East Central HomeSchool knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
