The Donelson Christian Academy Wildcats came to Chattanooga on Friday unbeaten after five games and ranked number one in D-II-A.
Chances are good that ranking will change after they got whipped by the Silverdale Seahawks.
It was Homecoming for Silverdale and there was an overflow crowd to see a football team that was also unbeaten after four games and currently ranked fifth in the D-II-AA state poll. That too will probably change after the Seahawks bruised and battered their way to a convincing 48-28 victory.
Silverdale coach Mike Connor had another big grin on his face after his team racked up 494 total yards while limiting a high-octane Wildcat offense to just 278.
“We just did something that’s never been done before at Silverdale and that’s beat these guys after losing to them the last two years. And we beat the top-ranked team at the same time,” he told his players as they circled around him near midfield following the game.
“It comes down to the same behavior we’ve been preaching all year. They continue to work hard and they listen to what we’re teaching. I couldn’t be more proud of them,” the second-year coach nodded.
“That was a good football team we just beat. We used to flinch when we played games like this, but not anymore. That was not a cupcake we just beat. But these guys continue to believe in each other and we just keep taking them one game at a time,” Connor added.
Senior Connor Delashmitt was the hero for the Seahawks on this evening as he was honored as the Homecoming King. He also had a pretty good game as he gained 128 yards rushing on 23 carries, caught six passes for another 86 yards and scored four touchdowns.
And he also surpassed 5,000 total yards in his Silverdale career in the process.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling right now,” the 18-year-old senior said afterward.
“We were pounding them up the middle and that opened up our passing game a little bit, but we were really hyped coming into the game. It was a big win for sure. It seems like everyone had counted us out, but we came here ready to play. And every person on our team plays a vital role in our success. That’s making this a really fun season as a result,” he added.
DCA coach Paul Wade didn’t dodge any punches when this one ended.
“We just got what we deserved and something we needed in a bad way. This game was like our week of practice as it hasn’t been a good week. But Silverdale has come a really long way since last year. But this is an eye-opening experience for us and there’s still a lot of football left. We’ll use a game like this to our advantage,” he concluded.
Silverdale didn’t exactly start out the game with everything clicking as the first drive ended on downs while the second one ended with an interception.
The third time was the charm as the Seahawks marched 49 yards in six plays, needing just 2:07 before quarterback Brett Rogers hooked up with Delashmitt for a TD pass covering 29 yards. Reid Jewell booted the extra point and Silverdale had a 7-0 lead with 3:25 left in the opening stanza.
The Seahawks made it 14-0 with a two-play drive that covered 52 yards. Delashmitt zig-zagged his way 51 yards for the TD on the fourth play of the second quarter with 10:38 left before intermission.
Then after Cameron Mullins blocked a 48-yard field goal attempt, the Seahawks responded with a seven-play drive that covered 58 yards and knocked another 3:52 off the clock before Rogers scored on a keeper from the 16 with 2:55 on the clock.
The Wildcats then scored their first touchdown on a 33-yard pass play from Bradford Gaines to Cameron Booker with 2:09 left before the half.
Turner Junkins intercepted a Gaines pass inside the final minute and the Seahawks made it count as Rogers hooked up with Delashmitt on a 50-yard TD strike with 39.6 seconds left on the scoreboard.
That became a pattern as the game progressed, Silverdale answering every time the Wildcats scored.
That 21-point halftime deficit didn’t change much as both teams scored three touchdowns in the second half as Silverdale ended up with a 20-point margin of victory after Jewell missed a kick after making six straight.
While Delashmitt was the rushing leader for the Seahawks, Rogers added 58 yards on 10 carries and scored twice.
Delashmitt was also the leading receiver for Silverdale, but he had some company as Mullins had five grabs for 37 yards. Cameron Bowen grabbed two balls for 45 yards while Turner Junkins had one catch for 38 yards and Sebastian Hanks one for 53 that was the final touchdown with 1:34 to play.
The Wildcats were limited to 278 total yards, including just 20 on the ground and 258 through the air.
Ashton Jones was the leading rusher with 48 yards on 17 attempts. Dayton Sneed was the leading receiver with 155 yards on seven catches, including five for 107 yards in the second half. Nathan Magalei had six catches for 62 yards.
Silverdale finished the game with 11 first downs in each half while DCA finished with 14 for the game.
The Seahawks will be at home against next week to face Notre Dame.
DONELSON CHRISTIAN 0 7 7 14 -- 28
SILVERDALE 7 21 7 13 -- 48
SBA – Connor Delashmitt 29 pass from Brett Rogers (Reid Jewell kick), 3:25 left in first;
SBA – Delashmitt 51 run (Jewell kick), 10:38 left in second;
SBA – Rogers 16 run (Jewell kick), 2:55 left in second;
DCA – Cameron Booker 33 pass from Bradford Gaines (Braden Ducharme kick), 2:09 left in second;
SBA – Delashmitt 50 pass from Rogers (Jewell kick), :39.6 left in second;
DCA – No. 28 covered blocked punt in end zone (Ducharme kick), 3:59 left in third;
SBA – Rogers 12 run (Jewell kick), :50.3 left in third;
DCA – Dayton Sneed 20 pass from Gaines (Ducharme kick), 10:24 left in fourth;
SBA – Delashmitt 1 run (Jewell kick), 5:29 left in fourth;
DCA – Nathan Magalei 10 pass from Gaines (Ducharme kick), 2:51 left in fourth;
SBA – Sebastian Hanks 53 pass from Rogers (kick failed), 1:34 left in fourth.
TEAM STATS: DONELSON CHRISTIAN SILVERDALE
First Downs 14 22
Rushes-Yards 25-20 37-194
Passing Yards 258 300
Passes (Com-Att-Int) 17-27-1 16-25-1
Total Yards 278 494
Penalties-Yards 11-100 10-115
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0
Punts-Average 4-30.5 2-35.0
INDIVIDUAL STATS:
DCA RUSHING: Ashton Jones 17 for 48 yards; Jacob Cook 3 for 9; Bradford Gaines 3 for minus 19; Brady Russell 1 for minus 3; Nathan Magalei 1 for minus 2.
DCA RECEIVING: Dayton Sneed 7 for 155 yards; Nathan Magalei 6 for 62; Cameron Booker 2 for 37.
DCA PASSING: Bradford Gaines 17 of 27 for 258 yards and one interception.
SILVERDALE RUSHING: Connor Delashmitt 23 for 128 yards and 2 TDs; Brett Rogers 10 for 58 and 2 TDs; Turner Junkins 1 for 12.
SILVERDALE RECEIVING: Connor Delashmitt 6 for 86 yards and 2 TDs; Cameron Mullins 5 for 37; Cameron Bowen 2 for 45; Turner Junkins 1 for 38; Sebastian Hanks 1 for 53 and 1 TD.
SILVERDALE PASSING: Brett Rogers 16 of 25 for 300 yards, 3 TDs and one interception.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)