Grace Academy beat Donelson Christian Academy 35-8 in a Division II-A East Region matchup Friday night, the Golden Eagles' latest step in their push toward the state playoffs.
Grace (6-1, 3-1) struck first on the scoreboard, marching 58 yards downfield on 13 plays and capping the touchdown drive with quarterback Cade Tinsley's 1-yard keeper. Running back Wesley Blandon found the end zone on a 2-yard sweep for Grace's second touchdown.
"We thought we had to get outside early and throw the ball on them - they put a lot of guys in the box," Grace coach Bob Ateca said. "We had success there early that helped us in the running game."
After DCA (0-8, 0-4) fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, Grace's Ryan Merritt scored on an 8-yard run. The Wildcats began to find life on offense and created their own long possession, moving the ball 72 yards before Clayton Glascock fumbled to give the ball back to the Golden Eagles.
Tinsley then found the end zone on a 5-yard keeper for the touchdown that set up a 28-0 lead. Another Tinsley 12-yard touchdown run allowed the clock to continue running until a late score by the Wildcats.
Tinsley rushed for 167 yards on 17 carries and was 7-of-12 passing for 70 yards.
"He had some good reads - everything he does is zone reads," Ateca said. "But I thought he also really threw the ball well tonight."
After the game, Ateca urged his players to focus on what they need to accomplish before the end of the regular season - games at Mt. Juliet Christian and Middle Tennessee Christian remain - in order to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs.
"The next two weeks are huge for us," he said. "I told our kids, 'One at a time, let's just try to get the next one.'"
Contact Justin Dempsey at sports@timesfreepress.com.