Covenant Classical vs. Bracken Christian
Sophomore kicker Rex Platt was so nervous, he said he could feel his heartbeat in his thighs. However, watching the TAPPS Six-Man Division III State Title Game, you wouldn’t have known as he calmly nailed a 40-yard field goal to lift Fort Worth Covenant Classical to a thrilling 68-66 victory over Bracken Christian for its first-ever state title.
Both teams averaged over 58 points per game on the season, so it was no surprise to see plenty of offense early in the game.
The Cavaliers put 22 points up on the board in the first quarter as Lanham Briley threw touchdown passes of 39 yards and 60 yards to Joshua Sapp and Nate Bennett respectively, while Sapp added a 36-yard touchdown run in between the two passing touchdowns.
However, powered by two Stephen Peterson rushing touchdowns and a 12-yard dart from Colt Wheelock to Caleb Brand, Bracken Christian evened proceedings at 22 early in the second quarter.
The teams continued to exchange touchdowns through the rest of the quarter as a 19-yard improvised rushing touchdown by Wheelock and a 10-yard touchdown pass from Wheelock to Dylan Merz were sandwiched by a 52-yard run by Sapp and a huge 51-yard Hail Mary pass from Briley to Bennett with just two seconds left in the half that sent the teams to the locker room with the score tied at 38.
Briley, who finished with 477 yards passing, fired two more touchdowns in the third quarter as he found Whit Jewett and Sapp for scores of 37 and nine yards respectively. Meanwhile, another Wheelock touchdown pass to Merz in between the two Cavalier scores meant the game headed to the final 10 minutes with Classical Covenant holding onto a narrow 52-46 lead.
But after an Isaac Brown interception, the Cavaliers extended their lead with a 49-yard Luke Breedlove touchdown run. Wheelock answered for Bracken Christian with a 51-yard pass to Merz, but a 44-yard touchdown run up the gut by Sapp restored Covenant Classical’s two-possession advantage, 64-54.
Determined to not let the Cavaliers run away with the title, Wheelock dragged Bracken Christian back in front with two touchdown passes to Brand of eight yards and one yard on its next two possessions, giving the Warriors a 66-64 lead with just under 100 seconds left. Unfortunately for the Warriors, those 100 seconds proved to be too much time for Covenant Classical as Platt ended the night as the hero.
Final Thoughts
It has been a rocky road since Covenant Classical started playing varsity football in 2013.
The team had to shut down in 2015 due to low numbers and didn’t play in 2017 either. But after reaching the state finals of the Texas Christian Athletic Fellowship in 2019, the Cavaliers rejoined TAPPS in 2020.
This year, their offense shined even against tough UIL competition as the Cavaliers narrowly fell to eventual state semifinalist Richland Springs 119-112 and 1A Division II champion Strawn 114-97 in non-district play.
Those games proved to be an accurate measuring stick as Covenant Classical rebounded by reeling off nine straight wins, six by mercy-rule victory, to earn its first-ever state title and etch its name into TAPPS history.
Stats
Passing Yards: 4,179 yards
Rushing Yards: 1,456 yards
Offensive Points Per Game: 65.8 points
Points Allowed Per Game: 32.9 points
Leading Passer: Lanham Briley: 4,047 yards and 72 TDs
Leading Rusher: Joshua Sapp: 675 yards and 14 TDs
Leading Receiver: Whit Jewett: 1,631 yards and 35 TDs
2021 Championship Magazine –
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