Fellowship Christian Advances To State Football Semifinals

Editor's note: Written by Mike Blum.

ROSWELL, GA — The Fellowship Christian Paladins are one game from a shot a state championship after a 35-28 victory last Friday night over Hebron Christian.

The Paladins face another Gwinnett opponent in Roswell in the semifinals this Friday night, as they host Wesleyan. Friday’s winner will advance to next weekend’s championship game at Georgia State’s stadium against either Holy Innocents or Eagles Landing Christian Academy.

Fellowship scored two touchdowns in the span of 90 seconds in the second period to take a 21-7 lead against Hebron Christian and held the lead the rest of the way to win for the 12th straight time this season. The Paladins’ margin of victory was their smallest this year after winning all 10 games in the regular season by at least 22 points, before shutting out North Cobb Christian 14-0 in their playoff opener.

The North Cobb Christian game marked Fellowship’s lowest point total of the season, but the Paladins rebounded with a strong offensive effort against the Lions, at least with their ground game.

Fellowship rushed for 282 yards against Hebron, winning despite attempting only two passes and completing one for one yard.

The Paladins put together 12 and 10-play drives to take a 14-7 lead with three minutes to play in the second period. Junior Murphy Reeves capped the team’s opening series with a 5-yard scoring run, and freshman Jayven Hall concluded a 66-yard march to make it 14-7 on a 6-yard run. Hall got the drive started with a 42-yard run and concluded it after FCS converted on a fourth-and-1.

Fellow freshman Kyle Elphick set up the next FCS touchdown, returning a fumble 55 yards to the Hebron 2, with Hall scoring on the next play to make it 21-7 at the half.

Hebron closed within 21-14 in the third quarter, but the Paladins countered on a 38-yard scoring run by sophomore Josh Cole to make it 28-14 going to the fourth quarter.

The Lions, who outgained Fellowship 316-283, twice closed within seven points of the Paladins in the final period, but a 59-yard scoring run by Reeves made it 35-21, and the FCS defense stopped the Lions near midfield after they cut their deficit to 35-28.

Reeves led the Paladins’ ground game, carrying 17 times for 129 yards. Hall and Cole combined for 125 yards on 20 attempts, with the trio accounting for all five Fellowship touchdowns.

Junior Nathan Nardone led the Paladins’ defensive effort with five solo tackles and six assists, accounting for the team’s only sack and forcing the fumble Elphick almost returned for a touchdown.

Fellowship will face a Wesleyan team that plays in the toughest Class A region in the state among the private schools. The Wolves finished third in the region behind Holy Innocents and ELCA, with Fellowship the only team not from Region 5 to make it to the semifinals.

Wesleyan is 11-2, with both its losses coming against Holy Innocents and ELCA by lopsided margins. Holy Innocents ended the regular season ranked second in the state among the Class A private schools, with ELCA third, Fellowship fourth and Wesleyan fifth. ELCA defeated No. 1 Athens Academy 28-10 in the quarterfinals and has won the state title each of the last three years, defeating Fellowship 34-27 in overtime in 2016.

The playoff seeding did not match up exactly with the rankings, with Holy Innocents seeded second, Athens Academy third, Fellowship fourth and ELCA sixth as a non-region champion. Hebron Christian was 12th.

The Paladins are 42-8 over the past four seasons, reaching the second round in 2017 and the quarterfinals last year.

Wesleyan has been a consistent state qualifier in recent years, but had not won more than one playoff game in a season since 2010, going 3-5 in the playoffs the last five years. The Wolves have won three playoff games in 2019 after getting a scare in the first round.

The Wolves were seeded ninth in the bracket and drew First Presbyterian of Macon, at 24 the lowest seeded team in the field. Wesleyan won 35-28 in overtime after trailing 28-21 entering the fourth quarter.

Wesleyan won 34-13 over No. 8 Christian Heritage in the second round, and got a break when Savannah Christian, the No. 16 seed, upset No. 1 seed Savannah Country Day 35-14 in the second round. That gave Wesleyan the home field in the quarterfinals, and the Wolves defeated Savannah Christian 42-16 to advance to the semifinals against Fellowship.

Like Fellowship, the Wolves are led offensively by a talented group of underclassmen. Sophomore quarterback C.J. French has passed for more than 2400 yards and 28 touchdowns, while sophomore Griffin Caldwell has rushed for 443 yards and six TDs in his team’s three playoff wins. Sophomore Cooper Blauser and senior Micah Smith have both had big receiving games in the playoffs, and have around 1680 yards and 18 touchdowns between them.

Defensively, the Wolves have played well the past two weeks after being shredded by First Presbyterian’s passing game in the first round. That’s something Wesleyan won’t have to worry about Friday, as Fellowship junior quarterback Eli Hildebrandt averages only six passes and about 50 yards per game.

But Reeves, Hall and Cole have rushed for more than 3000 yards and 44 touchdowns, while Hildebrandt has added 11 TDs for a team that averages almost 42 points a game.