Cornerstone Christian Edges Tabernacle 32-38

By Jackson Hillis

GARDENDALE, AL – The Tabernacle Torches dropped to 0-3 on the season after a nail-biting finish in their home opener against the Cornerstone Christian Eagles of Rainsville, AL. The contest was an offensive shootout which stayed competitive until the final whistle, with three touchdowns scored in the last 5 minutes of game time.

The Torches’ veteran offensive duo of quarterback Aaron Peters and wideout Kyle Gillis had yet another dominant showing, combining for over 300 yards of total offense. Gillis amassed 213 passing yards on 10 receptions, reaching the endzone 4 times on the night. Peters completed 15 of his 32 pass attempts for 290 yards and 5 touchdowns, putting himself at nearly 600 passing yards for the season. Junior back Ian Anderson caught 3 passes on the night for 32 yards and a score, joining fellow junior Colin Nix as the only other players to catch a pass in the game. The Torches’ air attack was outstanding, but their game on the ground wasn’t as efficient as in previous games. The team combined for 44 yards on 23 total attempts, averaging out to just under 2 yards per carry as a whole.

On the flip side, the Torches defense was consistent throughout the game, with plays seeming to come from a different direction every snap, with 10 of 12 active players recording at least one tackle. Out of the group, Ian Anderson led the team with 10 total tackles, including 2 tackles for loss. Tabernacle’s veteran players continue to contribute on both sides of the ball, with the team’s seniors combining for 15 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, and a sack. Defensive back Kyle Gillis tallied one of the night’s picks, with the other coming from something of an unusual source in defensive lineman Alex Tank, who snagged a screen pass from Eagle’s signal caller Jess Nelson just seconds before the end of the 1st half.

The Eagles, while recording fewer total yards of offense, played a more consistent game when compared to the Torches. They accumulated 287 yards, with 112 in the passing game and 175 on the ground. Junior quarterback Jess Nelson completed 4 of 13 pass attempts for 112 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions to boot, while tacking on 77 rushing yards on 17 carries. The rest of the offensive load fell largely on the shoulders of halfback Colby Harrison, who totaled 106 yards on just 13 carries, finding the endzone once on the evening. Jake Nelson was the team’s leading receiver, snagging 3 balls on the night for 107 yards and two scores, including the go-ahead touchdown with less than a minute on the clock.

Cornerstone’s defense was stout, combining for nearly 50 total tackles, 6 sacks, adding on 2 fumble recoveries. Brody Barksdale emerged as the team’s main stop contributor on the night, with 10 total tackles, 2 of those going for negative yards. The Eagles managed to reach the quarterback 6 times on the night, with 4 of those coming solely from Jess Nelson, who also recorded 5 stops on the night.

The Torches look forward to a bye week, after which they will travel to Ashland, AL to face Clay County Christian Academy, a team that will also be faced by the Eagles this coming week in a home matchup for Cornerstone. Tabernacle, though improved much from the onset of the season, still look to pick up their first win, now two games into conference play.