BY JONATHAN KOENINGER, FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — Evangel Christian Academy pulled off a late 16-14 win over Trinity Christian School in an intense back-and-forth game at Moore Stadium
William Dooley went 8-for-18 with 192 passing yards and two passing touchdowns and made 10 tackles, Reid House recorded 144 receiving yards, two receiving TDs and 11 tackles and Cole Tarvin and Fife Conway each had two sacks for the Eagles (0-1).
William Simmons rushed 17 times for 85 yards and one TD, and Peyton Thompson was a menace defensively for the Lions (1-0) with seven total tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Trinity head coach Mike Adams praised his tenacious defense, but noted work to be done on the offensive side of the ball.
“It could have been so much worse with the turnovers we had in the red zone, and our defense held them out,” Adams said. “That’s just far and away the best defensive performance we’ve had yet at Trinity. We’ve got a lot to figure out on offense, because [Evangel was] able to figure us out pretty well.
The night opened with promise for Trinity. After a kickoff, Mac Ellis forced a punt, and House returned the ball to the 47, only for a tough penalty to force the Eagles back 10 yards.
It didn’t matter for long. A few plays later, House caught the ball and ran another 53 yards to the 22. Before long, Ellis ran 26 yards to bring the Eagles to 6-0, then turned around on defense to help them survive a first quarter filled with foul trouble and facing a worthy Evangel defense.
The Lions answered in the second. Cameron Moore made a 30-yard run, and the Lions worked to the 6. Despite Dooley and Ellis holding them off, Moore ran in for a touchdown off fourth down, then a two-point conversion to give Evangel an 8-6 lead.
A fumble by Trinity brought Evangel right back, but a sack by Tarvin forced a turnover on downs at the Eagles’ 25 yard line. A missed snap and a tackle on House then gave the Lions the ball, but Ellis held off another TD for the rest of the half.
Though the Eagles returned the ball to the 44 to start the second half, more foul trouble meant the Lions took it on downs. The Lions made it to the Eagles’ 30 yard line, but a sack by Fife Conway forced fourth down, and Aidan Hahn broke up a deep pass for yet another turnover on downs.
Then Trinity struck. With the ball on their 35, Reid House ran 65 yards to bring the score to 12-8 Trinity, and a two-point conversion by Ellis made it 14-8.
The Eagles quickly recovered an onside kick as the ball bounced off an Evangel player’s helmet but didn’t maintain possession for long. The Lions scored at the 25-second mark to tie the game, and not long after made a two-point conversion to take a 16-14 lead.
With 23 seconds left, Dooley completed a pass to House, leaving 25 yards left to the end zone. Dooley tried that same connection for a second-straight play, but there was no catch. Cries of pass interference filled the stadium from players and coaches alike, and Evangel left with the win.
The Eagles will travel to Columbiana to face Cornerstone Christian Academy on Friday, Sep. 4, at 7 p.m. The Chargers (1-0) are coming off a 56-0 road win against the Coosa Valley Academy.
