Christ Church football defeats St. Joseph's to advance to Class A state championship
After a seven-year hiatus, Christ Church is back in the state championship football game.
The Cavaliers defeated crosstown rival St. Joseph’s, 21-7, Friday night to win the Class A Upper State Championship.
The Cavaliers (13-1) will face Johnsonville Friday at 7 p.m. at Benedict College in Columbia for the state championship. Johnsonville (13-0) defeated Cross, 20-6, to win the Lower State Championship.
Christ Church dominated the Palmetto State’s smallest classification from 2011-2014 as the Cavaliers won a quartet of state championships and a state record 55 consecutive games.
The Cavaliers’ success then started to wane and Christ Church faced a rebuilding process. However, Christ Church completed the penultimate of rebuilding its program Friday and is now one step to returning to gridiron greatness.
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“It’s been a process,” said Christ Church coach Quin Hatfield. “There have been a lot of guys that came before these players that paved the way for them. We’ve been climbing. We have great support from our school, and we have great fans and our guys have just bought in. It means a lot to get back to the state championship.”
Friday was the second meeting between the two schools this year as the Cavaliers won the first meeting easily, 60-14. However, the Knights (11-3) played with grit Friday and forced a 7-7 halftime tie.
It was the Cavaliers’ defense that was the springboard for their vault into the state finals. St. Joseph’s opened the second half with a perfectly executed onside kick. The Knights then drove the ball down the Cavaliers’ 3-yard line. However, the Cavaliers’ defense held the Knights out of the end zone.
On the next play, Christ Church running back Dashun Reeder took the handoff and raced 87 yards for the touchdown to give the Cavaliers the lead for good.
"It was tremendous,” said Hatfield of the goal-line stand. “Our defense has been stellar all year. That was the turning point in the game. That’s our guys; just stay in it, don’t give up and keep playing."
Reeder led the Cavaliers with three rushing touchdowns and over 150 yards on the ground. He scored four touchdowns against the Knights in their first meeting.
"Our defense stepped up big time and we started to run the football and get that going,” Hatfield said. “These guys have been on a mission. I am just so proud of our coaches and our players."
St. Joseph’s coach Chris Goodman said the Knights would be back.
"The kids played so well," Goodman said. "We had a couple things that went against us. When you play a team that talented, it is hard to win when the breaks are going against you. We’re growing. Being able to take over a program that already had a good foundation; we’re just going to keep on growing. This is not our ceiling. You are seeing us in the middle of our growth right now."
The Knights continue to make history as St. Joseph’s had never advanced past the second round of the playoffs. Not only did the Knights upset defending state champion Southside Christian to advance to the state quarterfinals; they played in their first Upper State Championship.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Christ Church defeats St. Joseph's in SCHSL football playoffs
