For any Silverdale Baptist football fans sleeping on the running talents of Chattanooga Christian School backs Mondo Ellison and Roderick Young, Friday night provided a rude awakening.
Behind 366 yards and five touchdowns combined from the two, CCS beat the Seahawks 48-19 in the Division II-AA East Region opener for both teams.
That CCS (2-1) was set to enjoy a big night was not evident on its first offensive possession. On the third play, a toss to the left ended up as a 70-yard fumble recovery and touchdown return for Silverdale senior Elijah Irwin.
Despite the mistake, the Chargers rallied to score 14 straight points to take control. They led the Seahawks (0-2) at halftime, 28-13.
"You're always questioning how your kids are going to respond to situations," CCS coach Mark Mariakis said. "There we were down 7-0 and we hadn't even been on defense, but we showed a good test of character in putting our mistakes way behind us and being effective."
After he racked up nearly 200 yards of total offense in the first half, Ellison continued to pound the ball over and over.
Ten of the Chargers' first 20 plays of the second half had the ball in his hands, including a 24-yard run late in the third quarter that ballooned the lead to 22. Young added an 86-yard touchdown run on the next possession.
"I know the coaches and others rely on me, and that drives me a lot to come out and play well," Ellison said. "Relying on the guys behind me to come in and make plays helps me, too, in just being able to relax. It seems like when we're all in rhythm, we can't be stopped."
In addition to his early touchdown, Silverdale's Irwin had a 10-yard touchdown catch and a 15-yard scoring run.
"Coach Mariakis is one of the best coaches in the area," Seahawks coach Al Rogers said, "and I hope they keep listening and following him, because they're a special group."