Football started with a bang, before the season even started. Enduring brutal summer weather for two days, the football team prepared working for that third championship. The Cavaliers played four pre-season “games” and went 4-0. In pre-season the Cavaliers outscored opponents 84-9; including wins over Woodmont, Riverside, Berea, and Liberty.

Week one against Heathwood Hall, brought excitement and anticipation for the first game. The game was a landslide win at 42-0 that brought exciting quarterback play from Demetrius Anthony and Andrew Slade, and big defensive numbers from the entire Cavalier defense. The Cavaliers won big: 42-0. The team brought back the “Episcopal School Bowl” trophy, and intends to keep it as long as possible.

The second game against Eastside was a rough victory. The Cavalier offense found trouble scoring in the first half, gaining only 7 points. The defense held strong with seven sacks, and the offense came back with 24 points in the second half. Andrew Slade had some strong quarterback plays in the second half that helped distance the Cavaliers from Eastside. The Cavaliers pulled out a 31-7 win over what Coach Frost called “the most physical team you’ll play this year”.

Week three found the Cavaliers facing Carolina High and Academy. The Carolina game was a test for the whole team, because Carolina was athletic and fast. The football team prepared thoroughly for the games, and were rewarded with a Cavalier victory 38-6. Demetrius Anthony led his team to 14 points in the first half. Andrew Slade got the ball to start the second half, and exploded with 28 points. Senior Josh Rogers said that “We’ve made a great start, but still have a long way to go. I think we could go far”.

Game 4 involved a trip through the countryside to play at Ware Shoals. The Cavaliers started off sluggish in the first half. With 18 seconds left in the first half, Andrew Slade threw a touchdown pass to Rudy Johnstone. After the second half started, Demetrius Anthony led the Cavaliers with some quick scoring drives, which also included a long touchdown pass to Nicholas Taylor. Defense was strong as usual, and, the Cavaliers walked out with a 42-20 win. Offense also had a huge game, despite the sluggish start, and they gained 486 total yards in the game.

The Homecoming game is always enjoyable for players, fans, and alumni alike. The Cavaliers played Calhoun Falls Charter School, and pulled off the big win 62-6. With the Cavaliers scoring on every drive in the first quarter, the Cavaliers jumped to a 55-6 lead by halftime. At halftime, Student Body President Ellie Williams was crowned Homecoming Queen. The Cavaliers earned lots of points, with both Senior Demetrius Anthony and Junior Andrew Slade throwing at least one touchdown pass. Anthony said that “ we’re playing well on both sides of the ball. Offense is staring to pull together, while defense is great as usual. We still have a long way to go before I want to finish”.

Game six was a learning experience for the younger players. With a two-hour bus ride to McCormick, the Cavaliers conserved a bundle of energy to use in the game. The offense scored on both opening drives, with one to start each half. The night ended with a Cavalier win at 59-8. Coach Frost pulled out all starters at halftime, and told the second string that “everything they score now is on you, every point you score now is on you.” Lee Cox, a Sophomore running back, ran a 98 yard kick return back to the McCormick 2 yard line in the second half to set up a Cavalier touchdown.

Week seven brought Dixie High School to Greenville. The Cavalier team scored easily and often in the first half, putting up 49 points. The final score was 49-0 against what Brandon Anderson called “the most talkative team we’ve played so far.” The highlight of the night was when first year player Max Lanwes had his first catch of the season.

Game eight took the Cavaliers to Southside Christian High school to play one of the their main rivals. The Cavaliers scored several touchdowns against the Sabre defense, finally putting up 66 points to roll the Sabres 66-12. Scoring on most drives, the Cavalier offense aided their defense, who struggled in the first half. With time winding down on the clock, Demetrius Anthony threw a long touchdown pass to Quan White to reverse the momentum in the game. Southside had scored on their previous drive, gaining confidence and momentum.

Week nine, rivalry week, took the Cavaliers to St. Joseph’s Catholic High School. Ever since the Knights started their program in 2009, the Knights have developed as the top rival against the Cavaliers. Coach Larry Frost said “this may be the best team we play all year.” The Cavaliers and Knights immediately started slugging it out; with each team returning kick-offs for long gains, then each team scoring touchdowns on their first drive. St. Joseph’s took the early 13-7 lead over the Cavs. However, the Cavs roared back with a field goal by Mac McCall and a touchdown run by Demetrius Anthony with 5:00 left in the second quarter to take the 24-13 lead at half-time. CCES scored two times in the second, featuring a Demetrius Anthony touchdown pass to Quan White. Although the Cavaliers already had a 22 point lead over the Knights at 38-16, the Cavs piled on 14 more points to topple the Knights 52-22. White was arguably the player of the week; with 4 big catches, with 3 of these catches were touchdowns.

Senior Night in week ten brought Whitmire to CCES. The final regular season game was a mix of emotions for the Senior fall athletes. Senior fall athlete Brianna Unger said that it was “bittersweet seeing everything you’ve worked for end like mine did earlier this fall. It’s a blur of emotions, and I’m glad that all the seniors get recognized at one point during the year.” The football game started with a punt return touchdown by Rudy Johnstone, followed by a flood of Cavalier touchdowns. Johnstone also had a long touchdown run in the 1st as the Cavaliers topple the Wolverines 51-0. Coach Frost officially pulled all starters at halftime, and left it to the second and third string to finish the game. Ian Miller and Jeffery Johnson each had strong quarterback play in the second half, each running the ball extremely well.

The start of the playoffs brings excitement and spirit to the fans of teams everywhere, especially the Cavaliers. The team started the first round of playoffs against the Lewisville Lions. According to Senior guard Bradley Walker, the Lions “had an unorthodox approach to the defensive side of the ball. They would stack 5 people of the defensive line with 1 linebacker, making it easy to throw the ball.” This helped the Cavalier offense put up 56 points by halftime. The Cavalier defense put up great numbers, and the Cavaliers breezed to a 66-0 victory.

Second round playoffs brought Williston-Elko high school to CCES. Williston-Elko and the Cavaliers have had their games in the past, with each game being a close and fun game to watch. This game did not disappoint. The Williston-Elko Blue Devils were a very good team; running an unorthodox defensive front, a high-powered running offense, and bigger players than the Cavaliers. However, the Cavaliers matched the Blue Devils in every category. The Cavaliers scored on the opening drive in the game. The Blue Devils answered to make the game 7-6 after the failed 2 point conversion. The Blue Devils scored again to make it 12-7 in the second. With time running out before halftime, the Cavaliers had a 2 play scoring drive to make the game 14-12 going into half. With 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter, the Cavaliers took the 35-31 lead. This lead wouldn’t exchange again as the Cavaliers took the 42-31 hard-fought game over the Blue Devils. Upper-state, here come the Cavaliers.

The Upper-state game against the Lamar Silver Foxes. Since Lamar was the #1 playoff seed, the Cavaliers drove for more than 3 hours to Lamar, SC. The game was hyped, as a #1 against #2 playoff seeds. The two teams were similar in every way; from the explosive spread offenses, to the quick dominant defenses. Going into halftime, the score was tied 0-0. Shortly after, the Silver Foxes scored to take the 7-0 lead. The Cavaliers, led by Demetrius Anthony, scored shortly after to tie it at 7. Lamar answered again in the fourth to make it 14-7. Demetrius Anthony led the Cavaliers to another touchdown, to tie the game again. With two minutes left in the game, the Cavalier offense marched the ball down the field, and only to have Mac McCall kick the game winning field goal with seven seconds left.

State week was certainly interesting, with the Cavs playing the Carver’s Bay Bears. With team bonding after most practices of the week, it was bittersweet for most. The team went to see Hunger Games: Catching Fire on Tuesday after dinner at team member’s houses. Wednesday, the team went bowling at AMF lanes. Thanksgiving brought walk through practice, steak and eggs breakfast, family time, and the trip down to Colombia. With kickoff at 3, players earnestly awaited for the last game of the year to start. The Bears started the game with a touchdown, but failed on the two point conversation. This was soon followed by a one play touchdown pass by Demetrius Anthony to Rudy Johnstone to tie the score 7-6. The Bears scored again, but completed the two point conversion to put the Bears up 14-7. The Cavs tied the game again, on a single play touchdown run by Dorian Dickey 14-14. The Cavs scored again off of a Demetrius Anthony touchdown run to put the 21-14. The Bears then tied the game at 21 after a rushing touchdown of their own. Demetrius Anthony had another touchdown run to make the game 28-21. This was the final score, as strong defenses took over in the 2nd half. However, Will Wynkoop forced a fumble in the second half and Taylor Carsten had a interception on the Bear’s last offensive drives. The Cavaliers ended the season a perfect 14-0, with quality wins over St. Joe’s, Williston-Elko, Lewisville, and Carver’s Bay.