Saint Francis Catholic Hosts Trinity Christian Academy in a Non-Conference Showdown

This Friday, the Trinity Christian Academy Eagles travel to Gainesville to take on the Saint Francis Wolves at 7:00. Both teams enter Friday’s game with a 2-5 record and in desperate need of a win.

Saint Francis

Fresh off a 10 point victory over St. John Paul II last week, Saint Francis looks to remain in the win column as they face a struggling Trinity Christian Academy team. Offensively, the Wolves have struggled this season, averaging just 17.7 points per game. Senior quarterback, Tyler Stone, has completed under 50% of his passes this season and has a 10:11 TD/INT ratio. The Wolves will likely rely on their rushing attack to exploit the Trinity Christian Academy defense.

Sophomore running back, Levi West is averaging 5 yards per carry and leads the team with 6 touchdowns this season. Perhaps the focal point of the Saint Francis offense is sophomore receiver, Omarian Littles. With 37 receptions for 600 yards this season, Littles has been Stone’s most consistent weapon through the air. On the defensive side of the ball, Littles has proven himself as a shutdown cornerback. His 6 interceptions and 8 pass deflections lead the Wolves defense. In addition, Saint Francis has done an excellent job of generating pressure on the quarterback. The Wolves have a total of 14 sacks this season from 7 different players.

Trinity Christian Academy

After winning the season opener, the Eagles have dropped 5 of their 6 games. On offense, the Eagles have been extremely effective running the football. They are averaging over 170 yards on the ground thanks to their depth at the running back position. Led by Jakiryn Hawkins and Jalen Wilson, the Eagles will look to establish their run game early on. Despite allowing 27.3 points per game, Trinity Christian Academy’s defense has created 17 turnovers this season, nearly double the national average.

Keys to Victory

For Saint Francis, they need to limit their turnovers and establish their run game early to keep up with Trinity Christian Academy’s offensive explosiveness. Defensively, the Wolves must be stout up front against the run and force the Eagles to pass the ball. They will heavily rely on linebacker, TJ Williams, who has 13 tackles for loss this season. As for Trinity Christian Academy, winning the turnover battle has proven to be a major key to success this season. In addition, it is imperative that Trinity Christian Academy utilizes the run game to control the tempo and keep their defense off the field.

Prediction

In what I expect to be a low scoring game dominated in the trenches, Trinity Christian Academy’s relies on its potent rushing attack to defeat Saint Francis, 28-14.