Chattanooga Christian stared doom in the face and then shoved it back in the closet Friday, rebounding three times for an unexpected close victory over Boyd-Buchanan.
The Chargers posted their first victory ever over Boyd-Buchanan, 21-17.
"That's a very good football team. I know they got a couple of players back, but I knew this team was better than 1-5," a drained CCS coach Mark Mariakis said following the tight game that all but ended with a Buccaneers incomplete pass on fourth down from the Chargers' 20.
CCS quarterback Dylan Clark took a knee with 1.3 seconds left.
"I'm getting too old for games like this," Mariakis sighed.
He told his players how proud he was, that they had continued their growth in maturity.
"When the offense needed it, the defense picked them up, and when the defense needed it, the offense and special teams picked them up," he said.
It appeared that the Chargers were two minutes from the victory when they coughed up the football at their own 16. However, the defense rose to the challenge and held the Bucs out of the end zone, breaking up four straight passes.
The Bucs offered challenges, beginning with their opening drive that resulted in a 3-0 lead.
CCS countered immediately to go ahead 7-3 on the first of two Jordan Perkins TD receptions from Clark. The Chargers then extended their lead to 11 on Mondo Ellison's 84-yard return, but Boyd-Buchanan came right back to close within four on Eli Evans' 5-yard run with 2:10 left in the first half.
The Bucs took the lead 14 seconds into the final period on Evans' 23-yard pass down the middle to Kohl Henke.
The Chargers rallied ahead, scoring on a 23-yard pass from Clark to Perkins, with 7:14 to play and then turned to their defense.
"Our kids withstood a lot of adversity, and (the win) is a big lift for these guys," Mariakis said. "It's a little bit easier going into the off week with a win. I'm not sure I've been in a ballgame where a team overcame so much adversity."
While the win assured the Chargers of a postseason appearance, the Bucs are left grasping for straws.
"We've come a long way in two weeks. We just need to win a close one," Boyd-Buchanan coach Carter Cardwell said. "We played well enough to win but bad enough to lose."
Sophomore quarterback Evans has come a long way, although he was victimized by several drops. He finished with 154 rushing yards on 19 carries.
"It was his best job all year," Cardwell said.
Ellison gained 123 yards on 29 carries but had to work especially hard against a defense led by Will Watkins and Henke.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him on Twitter @wardgossett.