Two dominant signal callers in Peyton Houston and Malachi Zeigler are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Evangel Christian Academy Eagles will take on the Benton Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Evangel Christian Academy knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past six contests -- so hopefully Benton likes a good challenge.
Evangel Christian Academy is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Captain Shreve: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Eagles blew the Gators out of the water with a 71-25 final score. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matchups by 21 points or more this season.
Kionte' Mims Ii
| 10/10/25 vs Captain Shreve | 92 |
| 09/19/25 @ Byrd | 90 |
| 09/13/24 @ Natchitoches Central | 77 |
| 10/02/25 @ Huntington | 50 |
| 09/12/25 vs Natchitoches Central | 22 |
Evangel Christian Academy relied on the efforts of Charley Abraham, who picked up 83 receiving yards and two TDs, and Kionte' Mims Ii, who rushed for 92 yards and one score on only ten carries. Those 92 rushing yards gave Mims Ii a new career-high.
Another reason for the win was Evangel Christian Academy's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Leading the way was Ethan Mandigo with two. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Benton played in-conference for the first time on Thursday and got just the result they were looking for. They came out on top against Haughton by a score of 48-40. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Tigers.
Benton's win came from a few key players Evangel Christian Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Greg Chambers, who rushed for 105 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also picked up 56 receiving yards. He also punched in two rushing touchdowns, which is notable because Benton is 2-1 when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 0-3 otherwise. Case Austin was in the mix as well, providing the Tigers with two TDs.
Evangel Christian Academy's record now sits at 5-1. As for Benton, their record is now 2-4.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Evangel Christian Academy has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 241.5 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Benton has preferred to attack from the air: they average 278.8 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Thursday? There's only one way to find out.
Evangel Christian Academy won a game that couldn't have been any closer when the teams last played back in October of 2024, slipping by Benton 34-33. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eagles since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
