HIGH-SCHOOL

Friendship Christian defeats Nashville Christian for TSSAA football state championship

Tom Kreager
Nashville Tennessean

CHATTANOOGA – Friendship Christian made two late goal-line stops and Garrett Weekly and the Commanders did the rest.

Friendship Christian defeated Nashville Christian 34-27 Thursday at Finley Stadium to win the TSSAA Division II-A BlueCross Bowl and wrap up an undefeated season. It marks the program's fourth state championship, but first since winning the 2017 DII-A championship.

Weekly, the grandson of Tennessee softball coach Karen Weekly, was 13-of-16 passing for 166 yards with three touchdowns for Friendship Christian (13-0). Weekly also ran for 94 yards on 16 carries. Teammate Tyson Wolcott added 20 carries on 60 carries and had a TD.

Nashville Christian (10-3) turned the ball over inside the Friendship 10 when Devin Lively forced Bryson Holt to fumble into the arms of Chase Eakes at the 6-yard line with 2:54 left. The Eagles got one more chance to tie the score when their defense forced a Friendship punt with 1:34 left.

Friendship Christian's Tyler Smiley ended Nashville Christian's last hope for a score when he intercepted Jared Curtis' fourth-down pass at the Friendship Christian 2 with 12 seconds left.

Tied at 20 after Holt's 4-yard TD run with 9:31 left in the third quarter, Friendship Christian scored back-to-back TDs. First, Wolcott scored on a 3-yard run with 6:55 left in the quarter. Smiley later intercepted a Curtis pass and returned it 35 yards for the TD for a 34-20 lead with 5:49 left.

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Nashville Christian's James Warmbrod trimmed the deficit to 34-27 when he scored on a 19-yard TD run with 10:54 left.

Curtis was 10-of-21 passing for 195 yards with a TD and three interceptions for Nashville Christian. Teammate Cameron Carden had 14 carries for 69 yards.

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.