By Jackson Hillis
ASHLAND, AL – The Tabernacle Torches picked up their first win of the season in a dominating fashion, stacking up 40 points in a regional road matchup against Clay County Christian Academy. The victory serves as a career first for Torches Head Coach Josiah Davis, who assumed his current role at Tabernacle following the conclusion of the ’23-’24 season. It was also the third straight conference game for the Torches, who previously faced two skilled opponents in Jacksonville Christian School and Cornerstone Christian Academy.
Coach Davis’ Torches wasted no time after receiving the opening kickoff from the Eagles, as senior standout Aaron Peters connected on a deep throw to speedy receiver Kyle Gillis, who swiftly found the endzone with Eagles in tow. This, and Gillis’ run on the ensuing two-point conversion, would put up 8 of Tabernacle’s 40 unanswered points on the night. The Torches and Eagles would continue to exchange scoreless drives, keeping the score set at 8-0 entering into the second quarter. Midway through the 2nd, however, the Torches would hit pay dirt on another long pass, this time to Junior Ian Anderson, who was hit in stride downfield on the 65-yard play and would never look back. This propelled the tally to 14-0, where it would stay going into the half partly due to costly penalties by both sides.
Despite their perceived success, Davis believed that his team should’ve been ahead by a greater margin at the break, citing inability to execute blocks as one of their main hindrances. Tabernacle’s offense found greener grass in due time, with Peters connecting down the field once more on the night, finding Anderson deep on a near 40-yard play in the third quarter, standing as the latter’s second touchdown of the showing. Though he appeared mostly as a running back for the Torches in his first three games, Anderson most excelled as a dedicated pass-catcher against the Eagles.
The Torches would roll through the majority of the second half with ease, with Gillis finding the endzone on a run and ensuing two-point try to move to 32-0. They would then quickly round out the score on a flashy contested snag by freshman receiver Caleb Stewart and subsequent catch and run by junior back Colin Nix for two. Peters would end the game with 230 yards through the air, with Anderson as his leading receiver, who claimed nearly 100 on two catches. Tabernacle’s attack on the ground was led by a trio of Torches. Gillis topped the bunch with 46 yards, followed by Peters and senior Jeremy Herard, who tallied 40 and 34 respectively. Defensively, they garnered one interception, also by Gillis, 3 passes defensed by Anderson, and a fumble recovery by senior lineman Alex Tank. Tabernacle’s special teams also excelled in the match, recovering three onside kicks, 2 by Tank and 1 by Anderson. In spite of the final score, the Eagles had no short of excellent play, they would intercept two passes on the night, as well as a handful of sacks and tackles for loss accrued throughout the game. Offensively, they put together good drives but were impaired by penalties and negative plays generated by the Torches defense.
Tabernacle will look to continue their momentum into their next game, facing the powerhouse Russell Christian Academy at home in a challenging conference test. Playing out of Meridian, Mississippi, Russell stands consistently as one of the best teams in the region and will pose a formidable opponent for the Torches.