Jordan's Road Trip: St. Francis vs Aurora Christian Preview

This week I’m taking a road trip to visit St. Francis High School in Wheaton where they will be taking on Aurora Christian on April 3rd at 1:00 pm. St. Francis (2-0) is on a roll the first two weeks showcasing their dominance and what they can do. Aurora Christian (1-1) is coming off of a dominant performance against Westmont where they look to bring that momentum into this Saturday matchup. Enough talk, let’s dive into the preview between the St. Francis Spartans and the Aurora Christian Eagles. <hr /> Offense St. Francis has an electric offense with weapons at all positions. They started off the season with a big win against ICCP Prep and had a dominant win against Wheaton Academy this past week. ISU Commit [player_tooltip player_id="20220" first="Tommy" last="Rittenhouse"] is at the helm of this offensive unit with [player_tooltip player_id="65256" first="Jackson" last="Gerard"], [player_tooltip player_id="20886" first="Adam" last="Criter"], and Elijah Lee in the receiving core. And let’s not forget about backs [player_tooltip player_id="65858" first="Tyler" last="Bishop"] and Blake Lawson. This offensive unit doesn’t take their foot off the gas pedal, look for the Spartans to come out swinging on their first drive and taking shots downfield to their talented receiving core. Aurora Christian is going to be all about how two players play on offense, QB Tyler Brueckner and RB Cam Ajazi, and if they’re able to get things going early. The Eagles need to get the ground game going early with Cam Ajazi which will set up the play-action pass and open up the air attack with Tyler Brueckner and Trey Bedee. Also, keep an eye on Tyler Brueckner with him getting involved in the ground game showcasing his athletic ability in the pass and run attack. Defense St. Francis has players all over this defense as well that can cover the field well and create turnovers. This all starts with their two OLBs ([player_tooltip player_id="65539" first="Grayson" last="Griffin"] and [player_tooltip player_id="125706" first="John" last="Moore"]) who can cover sideline to sideline and shoot the gaps in run support. Let’s not forget about the 23’ DT TJ McMillen who is a monster on the defensive line, he can get pressure on the QB and get in the backfield in a heartbeat blowing up the play. This defensive unit is also loaded with talent at every position, they are all athletic, have the speed to cover the deep ball, awareness to diagnose the play quickly, and aggressiveness to attack in all aspects of the game. Look for them to key on NIU commit Tyler Brueckner the whole game and limit his playmaking ability. Aurora Christian has their hands tied with defending the St. Francis Spartans as they have weapons all over the field. What is going to be interesting to see is which players the Eagles decide to key on and if they decide to play the run or pass first. Limiting the running attack for the Spartans seems like the way to go since their offense uses the run to set up deep shots down the field and the passing attack. That being said, I expect the Eagles to play the run first by having 6 defenders in the box and using the remaining players to play aggressive coverage on the receivers. In the passing attack, I expect the Eagles to bring pressure at the get-go to make [player_tooltip player_id="20220" first="Tommy" last="Rittenhouse"] uncomfortable in the pocket early on forcing him to make plays with a defender in his face. Key Points to Win St. Francis On offense, the Spartans need to get that run game going early so it can open up the play-action and flood concept they like to run. This will give [player_tooltip player_id="20220" first="Tommy" last="Rittenhouse"] more time in the pocket to take a deep shot downfield to one of the talented receivers. On defense, look for the Spartans to bracket Trey Bedee and to bring pressure to make Tyler Brueckner have to make a play. By doing so, the Spartan defense will create turnovers, and winning the turnover battle will influence who wins the game. Aurora Christian On offense, the Eagles need to get their run game going early with Cam Ajazi for two reasons. One being it will open up the passing attack and two it will keep the clock running and keeping the time of possession in their favor. If the Spartans don’t have the ball they won’t be able to score. By doing this it will open up the air attack with Tyler Brueckner and Trey Bedee. On defense, look for the Eagles to stack the box and bring pressure early on to make [player_tooltip player_id="20220" first="Tommy" last="Rittenhouse"] make a play. Closing Thoughts Overall, this is going to be a good matchup between the St. Francis Spartans and the Aurora Christian Eagles. I do expect the talent and dominance of St. Francis to overwhelm Aurora Christain in the second half which is why I have the Spartans winning 42 - 28. The deciding factor in this game is the Eagles players get worn out in the second half by going up against these talented St. Francis athletes. <hr /> That’s my preview of the game between the St. Francis Spartans and the Aurora Christian Eagles taking place on Saturday, April 3rd. I look forward to watching the game and seeing these young men compete. Keep an eye out for the post-game report to drop Sunday with the score of the game and the top performers from each team. Be sure to follow @jamaskane regarding news & information for Illinois High School Football, @PrepRedzoneIL, and @PrepRedzone.