Jacksonville Christian Trounces Tabernacle For Second-Straight Conference Win

By Jackson Hillis

Jacksonville, Ala. – Jacksonville Christian Academy defeated the Tabernacle Torches 43-22 in a scrappy Friday night contest to secure their second straight conference victory. The Thunder had previously traveled to face Tuscaloosa Christian in a road matchup, ending in a decisive 67-38 JCA win. The outing opened up Tabernacle’s region play for the season, as they traveled out of state for their first game with a loss to the South Haven Knights of Springfield, Tenn.

The Torches had good offensive rhythm throughout the night, but often found themselves kneecapped by unforced errors, as they amassed 9 penalties for 55 yards over the course of play. Senior gunslinger Aaron Peters completed 12 of his 24 pass attempts for 168 total yards, finding the endzone twice. His connection with veteran wideout Kyle Gillis shone through once again, as the latter snagged 7 receptions for 97 yards and both of the former’s touchdowns. Tabernacle’s run game was lively as well, with junior back Ian Anderson putting up 52 yards of ground offense in addition to 33 yards and a touchdown posted by the aforementioned Peters.

As for the Thunder, junior standout Noah Lee put up a strong performance, commanding Jacksonville’s routinely dominant air attack and throwing for three of their six scores on the night. On the ground, the tandem of backs Caleb Stallings and Nick Brodeur ran rampant, carving through the Tabernacle personnel frequently and contributing to the team’s total 215 yards on the ground. The Thunder proved worthy on the defensive end of play as well, intercepting two passes and holding the Torches to only 6 points through the first 3 quarters of play.

Tabernacle generally struggled to keep up with Jacksonville’s offensive intensity, letting up 35 first half points including 20 in the 2nd quarter. Despite this, the Torches had some notable individual performances. In the trenches, defensive lineman Alex Tank recorded 6 tackles, tying Kyle Gillis for the most on the night for Tabernacle and edging out linebacker Ian Anderson, who racked up 5  stops of his own. Tank’s presence in the trenches was crucial on the defensive front for the Torches, contributing immensely to the negative plays that they did generate.

The loss marks Tabernacle’s 4th straight to the Thunder, including a thrilling conference semifinal meeting which marked the end of the Torches’ 2022-2023 season. Jacksonville will look to continue a 2-game win streak in their next matchup against Trinity Christian Homeschool, as the Torches prepare for their first home game under head coach Josiah Davis, hosting the Eagles of Cornerstone Christian Academy.