The Academy for Classical Education Gryphons will head out to square off against the Northeast Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Academy for Classical Education is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Wilkinson County 51-14 on the road on Friday. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Gryphons had established a 23 point advantage.
A big part of the victory came down to the chemistry between Ace Hatcher and his top target Brice Whitley. Hatcher threw for 188 yards and four touchdowns on only 17 passes while Whitley gained 154 total yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance gave Whitley a new career-high in rushing yards. Jaylon Davis was in the mix too, providing Academy for Classical Education with two touchdowns.
One reason for the win was Academy for Classical Education's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for six sacks. Waylon Allen was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up fourhimself. He also set a new season high mark in total tackles with seven.
Meanwhile, while Northeast put up plenty of points two weeks ago, the same can't be said for Jefferson County. Northeast took their contest at home with ease, bagging a 47-0 win over Jefferson County. That looming 47-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Raiders yet this season.
Northeast relied on the efforts of Nick Woodford, who rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries, and Reginald Glover, who threw for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Woodford's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 127 rushing yards dating back to last season. Keandre Jackson was Glover's top target, picking up 73 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Northeast was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 219 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 167 rushing yards in four consecutive matches.
Northeast's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Kortnei Williams. Another thorn in Jefferson County's side was Tailen Sampson, who picked up a sack and made eight total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Academy for Classical Education's record now sits at 3-1. As for Northeast, their record now sits at 3-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Academy for Classical Education has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 218.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Northeast struggles in that department as they've been averaging 272.2. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Academy for Classical Education might still be hurting after the 52-26 loss they got from Northeast in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Woodford, who rushed for 314 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 15.0 yards per carry. Now that Academy for Classical Education 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
