So much was on the line – the hopes and dreams of fourteen seniors and twenty-eight other players eager to get a chance to play in the state championship. However, those dreams were crushed in the second round of the 2A playoffs against rival Abbeville High School on Friday, November 25th.

The Cavaliers ended the regular season 6-4, securing a two seed in the playoffs and home-field advantage in round one against Gray Collegiate Academy out of Columbia. After the first quarter ended in a 10-10 tie, the Cavaliers outscored the War Eagles 37-20 during the final three quarters. The chemistry between quarterback Ellis Millwood and wide receiver Lee Hudson was apparent as the duo connected four times, including two receptions for touchdowns, on the night for 70 yards. Millwood excelled in the running game as well, accumulating 78 rushing yards on 9 attempts. The team in fact set a school record for rushing yards in a game with 330 against Gray Collegiate. Senior running back Radford Swent attributed for 128 of those yards in just 14 attempts, playing another crucial part in the Cavalier offense as he has done frequently in the past three seasons as the Cavaliers starting running back. Roscoe Cox contributed 87 yards and a rushing touchdown on 12 carries as well.

In the second round of the playoffs, the Cavs travelled to Abbeville to face their dreaded rivals. Christ Church ended the first quarter only trailing by two, capitalized by an 81-yard kickoff-return by Cox. However, things went south for the Cavs as the game progressed. The Christ Church offense was shut down for the rest of the game and was kept off the scoreboard. Their counterparts had no trouble moving the ball down the field, compiling 33 points in the final three quarters and winning by a final score of 48-13. “We kind of just didn’t execute and allowed the Abbeville offense to just take advantage of us,” junior linebacker Thomas Jennings said. “Our offense also couldn’t really put points on the board,” he added.

Despite the season ending on a rough loss, Christ Church was given some postseason recognition. Hudson, Swent, offensive tackle Evan Lutes, defensive end Zach Idris, linebacker Daniel Dixon, and defensive end Ryan Putman were named to the All-Region team when the season ended. Putman and Dixon were also awarded with playing in the annual North-South all-star game in Myrtle Beach, SC where top players from the Upstate face the top players from the Lowcountry.

Although the season didn’t end as they hoped, Head Coach Don Frost hopes to take what they’ve learned this season and begin the long and difficult task of preparing the players for the 2017 season. The Cavaliers will face a difficult path to the state championship next year without the fourteen valuable seniors from this year.