Over the past two seasons, Fort Bend Christian head coach Jordan Black said his team has had the talent to succeed but lacked the “killer instinct” to finish off games.

And with his Fort Bend Christian team trailing 14-7 at halftime in this year’s TAPPS 11-man Division II State Title Game, Black knew the following half of football would be a defining moment for his Eagles program.

Fort Bend Christian quarterback Brady Dever drops back to pass in the TAPPS 11-man Division II State Title Game. Credit: TAPPS SmugMug

“One of the things that was important for me when I got there was to change the culture of the program,” Black said. “But up until that point, the issue with our guys had been teaching them how to win. This was a situation that none of us had ever been in before, so naturally, there are going to be some nerves heading into the game.”

But after a slow opening 24 minutes, Fort Bend Christian came out flying in the second half. The Eagles scored touchdowns on all five of their possessions as they secured a 42-30 victory over Fort Worth All Saints for their first-ever state title.

“At halftime, [we told our guys], ‘Whatever we want to do offensively is there. We just got to execute,’” Black said. “And I think it calmed them down.”

Quarterback Brady Dever played a big role in the second half turnaround as he finished the game with 332 passing yards and two touchdowns.

As has been the case all year, receivers Braylon Gardoni and Bryan Domino gave the All Saints’ defense fits as they combined for 19 catches for 295 yards.

Dever ➡️ Gardoni 💸@BradyDever1 | @BraylonGardoni | @FBCAathletics #txhsfb pic.twitter.com/c5N1rPHvw5

— Texas Private School Podcast (@TXPSPodcast) December 2, 2022

“Secondaries are scared to death of Bryan and Braylon,” Black said. “Most teams have to make a decision: what receiver are you going to take away? If you’re going to dedicate your defense to taking away Domino, then Braylon is going to have a big game and vice versa. So really, there’s not a good solution for you defensively.”

Dever connected with Gardoni for touchdowns of 17 and 73 yards in the third quarter, giving the Eagles their first lead of the game, 21-17.

After that, Cobey Sellers did the rest as he added three second half rushing touchdowns to keep All Saints at bay.

🦅 TD EAGLES 🦅

Cobey Sellers rushes in for his 3rd TD of the contest.

FBCA nearing a state title.

FBCA 35
FWAS 17

7:38 4Q@713Cobey | @FBCAathletics #txhsfb pic.twitter.com/mM4rwwRK7A

— Texas Private School Podcast (@TXPSPodcast) December 2, 2022

Fort Bend Christian running back Cobey Sellers carries the ball against All Saints. He finished the game with three touchdowns. Credit: TAPPS SmugMug

With a team that had come close but hadn’t yet been able to reach the pinnacle of TAPPS football, Black said he noticed a definitive change this year following a district loss to Second Baptist.

“After that loss, we completely turned our season around,” Black said. “[The players] made the decision to put in the work, and from that point forward, we practiced like a different team, we played like a different team, and our mentality was different.”

For the Eagles, the victory over All Saints served as the culmination of a miraculous turnaround.

When Black first took over the program in 2019, it “was on the verge of collapse” following a 2018 season where the Eagles went 1-8 and had to forfeit their last two games due to a lack of players.

Now, with a state championship in tow, Black said it has been special to restore on-field success at Fort Bend Christian.

“From that point forward [2018], the kids bought in,” Black said. “We’ve gotten better every single year, and I’ve enjoyed the building process from being a team that had to forfeit to being a state championship team.”

2022 Fort Bend Christian Team Stats

Offensive Points Per Game: 35.1 points

Points Allowed Per Game: 16.6 points

Passing Leader: Brady Dever: 3,299 yards and 30 touchdowns

Rushing Leader: Ethan Williams: 985 yards and eight touchdowns

Leading Receiver: Bryan Domino: 1,160 yards and 11 touchdowns

CLICK HERE to listen to the Texas HS Football Podcast, with Taylor Arenz