Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Pike Liberal Arts Patriots (5-1, 2-1) are back at home this Friday, Oct. 4, for a Class 2A, Region 3 matchup with the Zion Chapel Rebels (2-3, 0-3).

Pike Lib is coming off a 35-6 non-region win over Notasulga on homecoming last week.

“We started out a little slow and they went ahead of 6-0 but we settled in and did what we needed to do,” PLAS Coach William Moguel said. “The kids did well and really got after it.”

Meanwhile, Zion Chapel is coming off a bye week. The Rebels opened the season with a pair of wins over Kinston and Ellwood Christian before dropping their next three against Goshen, Highland Home and Luverne in a brutal three-game stretch.

“Coach (Cody) Keene does a great job and they really have a good football team,” Moguel said of Zion Chapel. “Brayden Benbow, John Foster Hamm and Joseph LeGear are all really good ball players. We have our hands full this week and we have to have a great week of practice and preparation to be able to have a good game against these guys.”

Hamm has thrown for 367 yards and four touchdowns with 151 yards and three scores on the ground this season, while Benbow has rushed for 314 yards and three touchdowns and LeGear has caught 12 passes for 253 yards and four scores. Benbow is also the heart and soul of the defense, registering 54 tackles, six tackles-for-loss, three sacks and two fumble recoveries so far.

Dalton Jordan has been the bell cow of the Pike Lib offense in 2024 and continued that against Notasulga, rushing for 197 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. In the past two games, Jordan has amassed 328 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Moguel said that his Patriots have to play a complete game to defeat the Rebels.

“We have to play for four quarters,” he emphatically said. “We have to get after it for four quarters and we can’t have any letdowns. We have to win the turnover battle and we have to play a complete game to give ourselves a chance to beat those guys.”

Pike Lib hosts Zion Chapel at 7 p.m. on Friday night.