The Chattanooga Christian School football team wrapped up a difficult week off the field with a successful Friday night on it.
A couple of big scores early set the tone, helping the Chargers to a 36-21 home win over Franklin Road Academy and a spot in next week's semifinal round of the TSSAA Division II-AA playoffs.
CCS (10-2) was led by senior running back Javoris Havis, who scored four touchdowns in his second straight game as the team's leading rusher after Tennessee Titans Mr. Football semifinalist Boo Carter withdrew from school unexpectedly.
"We've been talking about him trusting his blocking up front, hitting the holes and running downhill, and that's what he did tonight," Chargers coach Phil Massey said of Havis.
CCS quarterback Jordan Gile connected with BJ Holland on a 61-yard touchdown pass at the 5:21 mark of the first quarter, and Havis made it 14-0 with an 83-yard run near the end of the period.
FRA (10-2) had a chance to get on the scoreboard with a long drive in the second quarter. Junior running back Ty Clark's 48-yard run on fourth down gave the Panthers a first-and-goal, but CCS sophomore Malik Lee's interception on fourth-and-goal ended the threat to keep the visitors scoreless through halftime.
(READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night's Chattanooga-area high school football games)
After a 12-yard touchdown run by Havis in the third quarter, the Panthers got on the board after a poor CCS punt gave them a short field. The Panthers forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and another Clark touchdown narrowed the score to 22-14 late in the third quarter.
Havis scored in the fourth on an 8-yard run and sealed the game with a 53-yard touchdown run with 3:13 remaining. As impressive as Havis was on offense, the CCS defense played well all night, keeping Clark bottled up most of the game.
"Our defense was phenomenal," Massey said. "They were great, because (FRA) is a good football team, and our defense was excellent. Our offense put them in some bad spots with a few turnovers, but outside of that our defense was great."
In its 14th season, CCS is in the semifinals for the first time and will host Christ Presbyterian Academy (7-5), a 21-13 winner against Lausanne on Friday. Semifinal winners advance to the BlueCross Bowl state title game on Dec. 1 at Finley Stadium.
"It's huge because, I mean, these last few weeks have been tough," Massey said. "But these kids have just kept pulling together and believing in each other. I'm excited for them, and it's all them. Every kid from the first team to the scout team had a part in this.
"I hope they can enjoy this tonight, because tomorrow we have to go back to work."
Contact Jim Tanner at sports@timesfreepress.com.