Ben’s Ford Christian School is getting healthier and will travel to Wayne Academy tonight, attempting to get its second win this season in a battle of 1-3 teams.
“We’re starting to get back healthy,” Ben’s Ford coach Cole Holden said. “We’re expecting Garrett Pounds to be back Friday night and we’re expecting Ashton Hines to be healthy. We’re going to show up ready to play. We haven’t played well on the road last year or this year. That’s something that’s got to change. It’s something we’ve stressed all week.”
Ben’s Ford is 0-7 on the road, including the playoffs, since the start of last season.
The Eagles enter tonight after falling to Centreville Academy, 40-16. Ben’s Ford had a 16-14 lead late in the third quarter.
Quarterback Daniel Pittman threw a pair of touchdown passes to Corey Caldwell against Centreville. Pittman ran in one two-point conversion and threw another one to Dionte Fernandez.
Defensively, Holden said his group is improving. He said the key to this week is to stop the run.
“Their quarterback and tailback combo are hard runners,” Holden said. “The key to winning the game this week is we’re going to have to stop them.”
Wayne quarterback Zach Hutchinson has run 82 times for 716 yards and eight touchdowns. He has completed 21 of 44 passes for 420 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions.
“We ask him to do a lot — quarterback and running back,” Wayne Academy coach Sean Harrison said. “He’s a great kid. Very rarely do you see just one kid tackle him.
“He’s our workhorse. When times get tough, he’s the one with the ball in his hands.”
Running back Matt Landrum has run for 268 yards on 53 attempts and two touchdowns. Receiver Grayson Livingston has 12 catches for 277 yards and four touchdowns.
Defensively, Wayne is a 5-2 base team, which changes depending on the opponent. The top players are Kyle Sanderson and Steven Keane.
Sanderson leads the team with 54 stops to go with two sacks while Keane is second at 33 tackles and five sacks.
Wayne enters this week after a 75-40 loss to Winston Academy.