Connor Thomas became excited as he watched the turnovers pile up.
Yes, he knew a few were from his own team.
But Donelson Christian Academy still recorded three first-half takeaways in a 7-3 victory over Nashville Christian that decided the Division II-A Middle Region championship.
Those were signs that the Wildcat defense was on the right track.
“They gave us great energy,” said Thomas, a junior defensive lineman who finished with one sack. “We got such a good confidence boost when we got those.”
DCA put together a masterful defensive outing. Nashville Christian entered the game averaging 47 points, but was held to 115 total yards and without a touchdown for the first time since September 2020.
Jacob Cook (fumble recovery), Ashton Jones (interception) and Dayton Sneed (interception) fueled the turnover spree for the Wildcats in the first half.
Jones, a sophomore running back, also led all players with 26 carries for 108 yards and the game’s lone touchdown, a 1-yard scoring run in the first quarter.
Yards were tough to come by — thanks to both defenses and a cold drizzle that fell most of the night — and DCA wasn’t having its usual success on offense either. It turned the ball over twice in the first half.
Senior quarterback Bradford Gaines finished 7-of-15 for 96 yards and one interception, which was enough to keep Nashville Christian (8-2, 4-1) a little off balance.
“I think a lot of people expected a high-scoring game with these offenses,” Jones said. “But I’m so proud of our defense.”
DCA coach Paul Wade was proud too. The Wildcats have persevered despite limited depth on all sides of the ball. The current roster has 37 players.
“We’re so limited in number, you can’t match physicality in practice. We’re practicing against kids who didn’t even get into the game tonight, JV-level kids,” Wade said. “And after the first or second series each week, our kids have still been able to come out and match the opponents’ physicality.”
DCA earned a bye in the first round of the Division II-A playoffs and will resume play in the quarterfinals. Nashville Christian will host Lakeway Christian (3-6) next week.
Nashville Christian had a chance to tie the score early in the third quarter after Josh Strickland returned a punt deep into DCA territory, but the Eagles were stuffed inside the 5-yard line and called upon Macy Crampton to kick an 18-yard field goal.
They had just two more possessions in the game.
DCA turned to Jones as much as possible the rest of the way. His 12-yard pickup with just over 1:00 left earned the Wildcats the final first down needed to drain the clock.
He was supposed to be spelled by fullback Brady Russell and running back Jacob Cook down the stretch, Wade said, but both were dealing with cramps.
Jones’ white jersey was covered in grass and mud afterward.
“There’s going to be some knots and bruises,” Jones said. “But my body always seems to recover quickly. I’ll be ready for whoever we play next.”
More points were expected, but the scoreboard doesn’t indicate how thrilling Friday’s game turned out to be.
“I can’t wait to watch the film. It’ll be exciting,” Wade said. “You look at the score and you might think, ‘Hey, this wasn’t a good game.’ But this was a great high school football game.”
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