Davidson Academy vs Nashville Christian: What to Watch For

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Week 1 Davidson Academy travels to 2-time D-II A defending champion Nashville Christian. Davidson Academy finished 6-5 a year ago with a loss in the 1st round of the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Davidson Academy's youth movement:</strong><br>The Bears will have to replace several key players on both sides of the ball, one of the standouts could be [player_tooltip player_id='1591438' first='Josiah' last='Perkins'], Perkins is expected to be a key contributor in the secondary as well as at WR/RB. There are several freshmen that could contribute as well including 6'0 WR Jonathan Spencer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lineman to watch:</strong><br>Both teams have a standout offensive lineman; [player_tooltip player_id='1567255' first='Colin' last='Romero'] has been an anchor on the Eagle line for multiple seasons. Romero has good size at 6'4 285 and has received multiple offers including Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee St and East Tennessee St. [player_tooltip player_id='1587368' first='Logan' last='Murray'] at 6'4 305 is one of the most imposing tackles in the mid-state, the Troy commit shows a commitment to physicality, especially in the run game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>All eyes on Tate:</strong><br>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1196806' first='Tate' last='Mathis'] is replacing 5-star Vandy QB Jared Curtis but is coming in with multiple games of experience, including a solid effort against DCA in a rain delayed game. Mathis has shown excellent footwork especially outside the pocket. He has good size at 6'0 200lbs with an arm that can make the deep throws. He'll also should be featured in the run game, with the agility to make moves at the 2nd level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nashville Christian playmakers:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior [player_tooltip player_id='933063' first='Kaden' last='Grigsby'] headlines this group; the East Tennessee State commit had 1,034 purpose yds and 11 Total TD's in 2025 and looks to be the main weapon for [player_tooltip player_id='1196806' first='Tate' last='Mathis']. 2 others to keep an eye on are c/o 28 Dominick Williams who should step into a big role at WR/CB after transferring from Waverly and c/o 30 [player_tooltip player_id='2236333' first='Kelan' last='Taylor'] the 6'0 freshman has impressed in scrimmages and should make an immediate impact.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2327072,"width":"282px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/kgrigsby-crop-400x262-1786574607.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2327072" style="width:282px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Nashville Christian WR [player_tooltip player_id='933063' first='Kaden' last='Grigsby'].</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->