The Christchurch School Seahorses 2019 season ended at Blue Ridge on November 9 when the Barons scored a go-ahead touchdown with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The Seahorses battled back from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but the Seahorse defense could not stop the Blue Ridge aerial attack.
Top-seeded North Cross defeated Blue Ridge on November 16 in the VISAA Division II finals.
Back in week three of the regular season, Christchurch lost 42-0 at Blue Ridge when five starters were out of the lineup for most of the game. Blue Ridge lost to North Cross several weeks ago by 50 points, so when CCS took North Cross to the wire on November 2, the Horses felt they might just shock the Barons and head back for their fifth state title appearance since 2006. Despite a strong effort by the players and a loud presence by the CCS fans, Christchurch could not close the deal.
After Blue Ridge took an early lead, CCS put its first numbers up when junior DJ Sims (Ashland) took a handoff around left end for a 68-yard run down the CCS sideline. This started a two-minute flurry of scoring as Blue Ridge took junior Jack Barker’s (Accomack) kickoff to the house to regain the lead.
Two plays into their follow-up possession, the Seahorses scored once again, thanks to offensive coordinator John Dehm’s hunch and senior running back Lawrence Porter’s (West Point) legs. With the same formation and motion, Dehm had Sims racing through the backfield at the snap, drawing the attention of the Blue Ridge linebackers. Senior QB Jaylen Wood (Moseley) let Sims fly by, and handed off to Porter up the middle. Senior captains Blake Ryder (Hampton) and Barron Cohen (Fredericksburg) peeled open a hole in the Baron front and Porter was gone. The 81-yard scamper brought CCS within a point, but the Seahorses failed on the extra point.
Blue Ridge extended the lead to 21-13 with its third TD pass in the second quarter. With just 1:19 left in the half, CCS answered when Wood hit Sims on a go route and he went 71 yards untouched for another Seahorse score. The PAT pass missed and so the Barons took a 21-19 lead into halftime. Confidence was high that CCS could keep up with the scoring, but the Seahorses had to find a way to stop Blue Ridge from lighting up their side of the scoreboard.
The track meet continued in the third quarter as Blue Ridge scored two more TDs in the third quarter. The Seahorses passed that gut check, coming back to score three TDs of their own. First, senior wide receiver Jackson Swanner (Chesapeake) grabbed a 20-yard pass from Wood and scooted by the cornerback for the 25-yard touchdown reception. The 2-point conversion was successful when Wood hit junior TE Rock Wolfson (White Stone) in the back of the end zone.
On the next Blue Ridge possession, DJ Sims turned the tide for the Christchurch defense when he picked off a pass at the 41-yard line and returned it to the Blue Ridge 10. This time Porter followed senior fullback Kobe Scales (Gloucester) up the middle for 5 yards, and then around right end for the final 5 yards to pull within two points of the Barons. Another failed PAT run left CCS down, but not out.
When the Seahorses forced a rare Blue Ridge punt, CCS faced a long field and struggled to move the ball. Faced with a fourth down and four, Wood dropped back and let one fly in Sims’ direction. The speedster flew past the double coverage he faced and raced 69 yards into the end zone for the go-ahead score. Barker kicked the successful PAT to put CCS in the driver’s seat with five minutes to go in the game.
With 2:45 remaining, however, the Barons did it again with a 52-yard TD pass. Their successful 2-point conversion pass gave them a 43-40 lead, but CCS still had a chance. Although Wood scrambled his way down to the Baron 45 for a first down, the Seahorses could not gain another first down, and Blue Ridge ran out the clock to win the day.
Wood finished the day 12 of 21 for 247 yards and 3 TD passes. He also rushed for 36 yards. Sims caught 3 passes for 140 yards and rushed for 62 yards. He rushed for a TD and caught 2 TD passes. Porter finished his day with 126 yards on 14 carries and 2 scores.
On defense, Wolfson led the way again with 16 tackles, while Porter had 12. Junior linebackers Brandan Bowers (Yorktown) and Mikie Lawson (Saluda) both turned in excellent performances on defense. Bowers had 4 tackles and a pass breakup, but his interception deep in the red zone in the fourth quarter not only saved a TD, but set the Horses up for their first second half score. Lawson tallied 7 tackles, playing both outside and inside linebacker, as well as every snap at left guard on offense.
This season, Christchurch fought their way to the playoffs for the 10th time in the past 20 years. Coach Ed Homer and the Seahorses will try to do it again next year when Christchurch School celebrates 100 years of college-prep education and competitive athletics.
