It was a tale of two halves as the GR Christian football team visited the Lowell Red Arrows for an important OK-White conference matchup. The hosts started strong, running the ball effectively in the first half, shutting down the Eagle offense, and dominating all phases of the game. Lowell finished the first half by completing a late touchdown pass to go up 20-0 and creating what looked to be a deficit that was too much to overcome for the boys in Blue and Black.

Not to be dismayed, the Eagles re-organized themselves in the locker room at half time, played Lowell to a 0-0 draw in the 3rd quarter, and came storming back - scoring three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter, drawing to within one point on a touchdown with about 30 seconds left. Deciding to go for the win, GR Christian lined up to go for a two point conversion; senior CJ Jones took the snap in the wildcat formation and broke a tackle around the left side of the defense to deliver a dramatic come-from-behind victory - Eagles 21 Red Arrows 20.

The defense controlled the second half, shutting out the Lowell offense in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Senior linebacker Alec Koval lead the way with 9.5 tackles (2.5 for loss) and a QB sack. Linebackers CJ Jones and Buddy Hogan were also fantastic, contributing 8 and 7.5 tackles respectively. Defensive back Dahvey Moody put the finishing touches on the game by shutting Lowell's final drive down with a beautiful interception.

The offense was lead by gutsy play from sophomore quarterback Alek Wickstrom and dynamic late-game heroics from senior wide receiver Amir Nixon. Wickstrom completed 16-32 passes for 217 yards and 3 touchdowns (no interceptions) against a stingy Red Arrow defense. Nixon was dominant with 6 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown while also drawing a key pass interference call on the game-winning drive. Alec Koval and senior Ace Thomas each caught touchdown passes, and running back Buddy Hogan worked hard to find what little space there was to run the ball against the stout Lowell defensive front.

The true, ultimate warriors of the day were in the trenches - particularly the trio of Scott Stockwell, Ahmon Parks, and Jaylin Garcia. Those three played the entire game on the offensive and defensive line, with essentially no breaks - this is nearly unheard of in the game of football. A tip of the cap to Scott, Jaylin, and Ahmon for battling so well!

The Eagles look to face down another significant challenge when the conference-leading Rangers of Forest Hills Central visit Eagle Stadium on Friday. Go Eagles!