The Wildcats of Donelson Christian Academy took home their first state championship since 2004 with a BlueCross Bowl victory over Nashville Christian School, 31-7.
The Wildcats defense, led by defensive lineman LJ Tolbert, swarmed the Eagles backfield as DCA forced three sacks and five tackles for loss.
On the opening kickoff, the Wildcats returned the kick to their opponent’s 26-yard line. The momentum never shifted from DCA from the return.
Although the offense turned the ball over, the Wildcat’s defense was clicking from the start.
After the Wildcats forced a punt, Nashville Christian intercepted another pass at midfield.
Earlier in the season, the Eagles and the Wildcats faced off in a 7-3 slugfest where DCA edged the Eagles. In that game, Nashville Christian ran press coverage most of the night. For Thursday night’s contest, the DCA prepared for the press but faced zone coverage instead. The change caused chaos for the Wildcats in the first half as Nashville Christian had three takeaways. However, the Eagles failed to capitalize on each opportunity.
Donelson Christian Academy’s James Warmbrod intercepted a pass, taking the ball from the receiver’s hands, and returned it 66-yards to the red zone. The Wildcats’ Ashton Jones would break the tie after a one-yard touchdown run with 11:55 left in the second quarter.
On the following Eagles drive, DCA’s Brady Russell made an incredible tackle to force fourth down. After the punt, Jones zigzagged across the field for a 27-yard gain. Three plays later on fourth down, Jones punched it in, again from the one-yard line.
Dayton Sneed, an explosive receiver on offense, intercepted a pass on defense from the Eagles with little left in the second quarter. The interception did not allow Nashville Christian to mount any points before the half.
Penalties were a common theme in the first half for Nashville Christian. With two holding penalties costing two touchdowns, the Eagles had amassed almost 50-yards in penalties at halftime.
Despite the 14-point discrepancy, DCA and Nashville Christian only had a 16-yard difference at halftime.
With help from his offensive line and fullback, DCA running back Ashton Jones, accounting for all points scored in the first half, had 80 of Donelson Christian Academy’s 133 yards.
For Nashville Christian, Joshua Strickland averaged 6.5 yards per carrying. His 65 yards was more than half of their total yardage (117).
On the second-half opening drive, Nashville Christian could not get a first down on their first two rushing attempts. On third down, a play-action did not fool the defense. Wildcat Nolan Forsha made a monstrous sack on the quarterback to force a 3-and-out.
After a false start on second down, Eagle quarterback Bradford Gaines connected with wide receiver Dayton Sneed on a 58-yard touchdown pass. The pass was thrown on a string and hit the receiver in stride as he sprinted down the sideline. The Nashville Christian defenders did not stand a chance after they saw the back of Sneed’s jersey. The lead was now at 21 points.
Nashville Christian’s Deion King gave the Eagles a boost with a 27-yard run off the left edge of the offensive line. The run gave Nashville Christian a new set of chains inside Donelson Christian Academy territory.
The run could not create a spark for the rest of the offense. After an incomplete pass on third down, Tolbert sacked Nashville Christian’s quarterback for a turnover on downs.
On the first play after the sack, Gaines connected with receiver Nathan Magalei for a huge 43-yard pass. Donelson Christian Academy would settle for a field goal on fourth and extend their lead to 24 with 4:19 left in the third quarter.
Tyler Morris dropped back to pass and connected with Jayden Satterfield. After the reception, Satterfield was able to make a defender miss on a juke and sprint up the seam for a touchdown. Nashville Christian found themselves on the scoreboard for the first time with 2:46 remaining in the third quarter.
13 seconds later, Donelson Christian Academy’s Jacob Cook followed a convoy of blockers to return the kickoff. The touchdown put their lead back at 24 points, 31-7.
Nearing the end of the third quarter, Nashville Christian attempted a deep pass on fourth and five. The pass was well covered and fell incomplete. The turnover on downs signified what felt like the end of the game. The Eagles slowly jogged off the field for the beginning of the fourth quarter.
With little hope, the Eagles attempted to convert on another fourth down. Tolbert had other plans as he recorded another sack to give his offense the ball back. A close line-like sack that rocked the quarterback. On the final drive, Tolbert recovered a Nashville Christian fumble to claim the state title.
“For the way LJ played all night, it was deserving that he would have the ball in his hands at the end,” said Wildcats Head Coach Paul Wade.
After overcoming the adversity in the first half, the quarterback, Gaines, nearly accounted for 200 yards passing (172), with 115 and a touchdown in the second half.
“He had a few interceptions along the way, but he threw the ball incredibly,” said Wade. “With this type of game and as a senior, he wants to play. I did not have a problem with it and I knew he was trying to make a play to get us a win. He was threading the needle, so kudos to him for making that comeback.”
DCA’s Jacob Cook took home Most Valuable Player honors with 97-yards, a touchdown, and an interception on the defensive side of the ball.
With the win, the Wildcats cap off their season at 12-1 and state champions. For the Eagles, their season concludes at 11-3.
Stats
NASHVILLE CHRISTIAN 0 0 7 0 – 7
DONELSON CHRISTIAN 0 14 17 0 -- 31
DC – Ashton Jones 1 run (Braden Ducharme kick) (11:55, 2nd)
DC – Ashton Jones 1 run (Braden Ducharme) (6:36, 2nd)
DC – Dayton Steed 58 pass from Braden Gaines (B Ducharme kick) (4:19, 3rd)
DC – Braden Ducharme 21 field goal (7:31, 3rd)
NC – Jayden Satterfield 62 pass from Tyler Morris (Macy Crampton kick) (2:46, 3rd)
DC – Jacob Cook 91 kickoff return (Braden Ducharme kick) (2:33, 3rd)
NCS STATS DCA
12 1st Downs 10
34-101 Rush 31-129
147 Pass 134
255 Total 301
11-21-2 Passes 8-20-2
7-49 Penalties 9-67
4-40.3 Punts 1-34.0
2-1 Fumbles 1-0
Individual Stats
Rushing: Joshua Strickland 16-72, Deion King 4-24, Jamal King 2-10, Tyler Morris 12-(-5) (NC); Ashton Jones 28-132, Nathan Magalei 1-0 (DC).
Passing: Tyler Morris 11-21-2 for 154 yards (NC); Braden Gaines 8-20-2 for 172 yards (DC).
Receiving: James Warmbrod 3-24, Joshua Strickland 2-32, Jaelyn Marsh 2-17, Jayden Satterfield 1-62, Donovan Smith 1-12, William McClary 1-7, Jamal King1-0 (NC); Dayton Sneed 4-97, Nathan Magalei 3-60, Cameron Booker 1-15 (DC)..
Records: Nashville Christian (11-3), Donelson Christian (12-1)
MVP: Jacob Cook (DCA)