Fellowship Paladins Score Win Over King's Ridge Tigers

Submitted by John Heid, sports information director with Fellowship Christian School

Tyler Matthesen’s switch to fullback from tailback was pretty successful on Friday night for the Paladins.

The junior runner scored five rushing touchdowns and gained a team-high 118 yards on 18 carries to lead the Fellowship Christian School varsity football team to a 47-28 victory over King’s Ridge Christian School in Single A Region game.

The Paladins (1-0 in Region games and 2-3 overall) pulled away from the Tigers with 27 second-half points. FCS snapped a three-game losing streak with the win, including a heart-breaking defeat to Christian Heritage, 13-12, at Paladin Field in their last game on Sept. 19. It was Fellowship’s second consecutive win over King’s Ridge after going 0-3 in the first three meetings between the schools.

“It’s big,” head coach Al Morrell said about the Homecoming victory. “I just wish we had two in-a-row, but I’ll take this victory. We have a very tough opponent coming up next week, so this win is very good for the confidence of our football team.”

The turning point of the close contest came in the third quarter. With the Paladins leading 20-14, sophomore Jack Hardin connected with junior Drew Williamson on a 62-yard double pass from his halfback slot for the score. Jake Williamson’s extra-point kick gave the Paladins a 27-14 lead. Drew Williamson led the Paladins with 62 receiving yards.

“That was a big momentum builder,” Morrell said. “That gave us the lead by two touchdowns for the first time in the game.”

Offensively, the Paladins finished with season highs for rushing yards (370), passing yards (119) and total offense (489). The Paladins finished with 19 first downs, and the Tigers had seven.

“The kids have had their heads up since the loss,” Morrell said. “We have had great practices since then. We established the run game this week, and our line was the key. We moved Tyler to fullback this week. He was very productive. He gave us a quick hitter from that slot.”

Matthesen began his FCS career as a fullback as a member of the sixth-grade and middle school teams at FCS, but has played halfback for the varsity squad the last two seasons.

With Fellowship ahead 27-14, Matthesen scored from 6 yards out early in the fourth quarter. Matthesen’s fourth touchdown on a 40-yard run came a few minutes later. Jake Williamson went 1-for-2 on those extra-point kicks, giving FCS a 40-21 lead.

The teams traded touchdowns in the final minute of the game. Matthesen’s fifth touchdown came with 39.9 seconds on 15-yard run. Senior Cole Lindner kicked the extra point to make the score 47-21. The Tigers scored on a long pass play 10 seconds later and added the kick to give the final count.

“They scored on a couple of very long plays, but overall I thought our defense played well,” Morrell said. “They have some good athletes on that team.”

Hardin collected a team-high seven tackles, including four solo stops. Sophomore Ryan Reid and junior Jackson Pryor collected four tackles apiece. Reid had three solo stops and Pryor recorded three assisted tackles. Both Pryor and sophomore Ethan Minkert recorded a sack.

Senior quarterback Shane Young threw for 57 yards and collected 97 yards on 18 carries. Senior Dalton Depew led the Paladins with four catches and finished with 38 receiving yards. Senior Austin Bell also registered 97 yards on 10 carries. Sophomore Andrew Minkert finished with 45 yards on 11 attempts.

“Shane controlled the game for us,” Morrell said. “We faked two punts in the game, and he got us the first down both times. He ran well in the game.”

The teams traded scores in the first quarter.

The Paladins capped a 51-yard drive on Matthesen’s 2-yard touchdown run at 6:36 of the first. Lindner kicked the extra point to put FCS up 7-0. The Tigers scored on a 19-yard pass play on its next possession to tie the game.

Bell’s 5-yard touchdown run ended a 74-yard drive and put the Paladins in the lead again at 10:22 of the second quarter. Lindner’s kick made it 14-7. The lead didn’t last long as King’s Ridge scored on a 50-yard pass play at 7:05.

Matthesen’s second touchdown of the Region contest came with 2:32 left in the half. It gave Fellowship the lead for good. Lindner’s kick was blocked, which left the Paladins ahead 20-14.

The Paladins are back in action on Friday night at home against Mount Pisgah on Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. The game will feature a celebration of 10 years of Paladin varsity football.