Jordan HammIt seems as though the stars aligned in Division V.
Two of the top teams in the division find themselves in the finals in Joy Christian and Benson. Both teams sport undefeated records and will pit strength vs strength when they meet on Saturday.
Key Matchup: This may oversimplify things a bit, but the matchup is Joy Christian’s offense vs Benson’s defense. The Eagles take flight in their passing game with plenty of weapons for quarterback Matt Mitchell. This unit’s lowest point-total on the year is 40 points. If there is a group that has the potential to slow down the Eagles, it’s the Benson defense. The Bobcats defense has given up just 84 points in 13 games, and have six shutouts in 2015.
Impact Performers: For the Eagles, the duo of Dujuan Lawrence and Isaiah Goodspeed have combined for over 1,900 receiving yards and 32 touchdowns. Benson’s Perrin Maakestaad has a chance to make an impact while disrupting the Joy Christian offense. The senior has nine tackles-for-loss and five sacks on the year.
Keep an Eye on: Joy Christian’s Dujuan Lawrence. Ok, I know I mentioned him as an impact performer, but stay with me. Lawrence isn’t just a threat through the air but on the ground too. The senior is the team’s third-leading rusher and added 11 rushing touchdowns. His versatility is just another wrinkle in the copious amount of weapons for the Eagles.
The Benson ground attack is…well…diverse. They have ten players with multiple rushing touchdowns this year. This team is physical, deep, and flat-out wants to punch in the mouth, and those rushing numbers indicate just that.
Joy Christian and Benson square off on Saturday at 2 PM at Chaparral High School.
