Eagles win rematch, reach first championship game
Quick take
It’s hard to beat the same team twice. It’s even harder to beat two different teams twice.
Second Baptist survived a rematch last week but couldn’t withstand Fort Bend Christian’s second effort, falling 34-7 in the TAPPS Division II semifinals Saturday at Delmar Stadium. QB Brady Dever threw three scoring passes and Fort Bend Christian dominated field position, sacking QB Turner Murdock five times to reach its first championship game.
“This team hadn’t matured to the point we are now,” Fort Bend Christian coach Jordan Black said of his team’s 28-7 loss to Second Baptist on Oct. 14. “We needed to lose that game against Second to get to where we are right now. Since then we’ve been on a roll, we started doing things right, and took ownership of what type of team we want to be.
“We fought through it, we’ve come together as a team — and we’re peaking right now.”
Highlights
Fort Bend Christian (9-4) controlled the first quarter.
It took over in Second Baptist territory on its second possession, after holding Second Baptist to only one yard in a three-and-out, then quickly reached the 2 on QB Brady Dever’s 33yard strike to WR Bryan Domino. Two plays later, QB Cobey Sellars walked in for a one-yard TD. And Fort Bend Christian
kept it going on the next series after forcing another three-and-out.
This time Fort Bend Christian put together a nine-play, 60-yard drive Dever’s capped with a two-yard scoring pass to Domino for a 1-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Second Baptist cut the deficit to 14-7 at halftime with an 11-play, 78-yard march punctuated with QB Turner Murdock’s 21-yard strike to WR
Canon Toon, who absorbed big hit that drew a personal foul and held on.
Second Baptist (8-5) sacked Dever four times in the first half. But Fort Bend Christian had Murdock on the run in the second half. DL Jacob Bjorngjeld led the way with 2½ sacks.
Fort Bend Christian put the game away with a three-touchdown third quarter. Dever threw two touchdowns in the quarter — a 23-yarder to WR Noah Brooks and an 8-yard strike to Domino. Fort Bend Christian scored 27 unanswered points before Second Baptist reached the end zone again with only 3:19 remaining in the contest.
Fort Bend Christian didn’t turn the ball over but had to overcome 10 penalties for 90 yards.
What it means
Second Baptist was in a rematch for the second straight week. It defeated The Woodlands Christian Academy for the second time in 16 days last Saturday, winning 31-7 at C.E. King’s Panther Stadium.
Fort Bend Christian is playing in the championship game for the first time. It lost to Second Baptist 14-13 in last year’s regional semis.
Quotable
“We had Bryan Domino back this game,” Black said. “He wasn’t with us when we played Second the first time, and he’s a difference maker.”
Game balls
Dever 14 of 24 passes for 239 yards and three TDs, helping Fort Bend Christian generate 417 total yards and 17 first downs.
Domino was his top target, collecting six balls for 114 yards and two scores.
RB Ethan Williams was the closer. He broke a late 53-yard TD run to finish with 160 yards and two scores on 16 carries.
Murdock was 13-of-29 for 184 yards and two TDs, but the Second Baptist ground game produced only 50 yards on 32 rushes.
Up next
Fort Bend Christian faces Fort Worth All Saints on Dec. 2 at Waco ISD Stadium. All Saints (7-5) defeated Fort Worth Christian 35-8 in the Division II semis.