The Chattanooga Christian School football team was relentless in its 49-21 win over Division II-AA East Region rival Boyd Buchanan on Friday night at Finley Stadium.
The Chargers were especially brutal on the ground, topping the 350-yard mark behind five rushers.
"Our offense can do that, but as a defensive guy, I didn't like seeing 21 points on the board," CCS coach Mark Mariakis said with a chuckle. "We have a lot of experience on offense. We have guys that have been here with us for four years, so we know we have that skill set in the backfield."
The trio of Traveon Scott, JaMichael Baxter and Orlando Carter was a menace, with Scott and Baxter each topping the century mark and Carter not far behind.
READ MORE: Final scores and photos from Friday night's Chattanooga-area high school football games
Scott opened up the scoring with a 65-yard run in the first quarter and added a 2-point conversion. The Chargers (2-1, 1-0) recovered the ensuing kick, and Carter eventually scampered in from 7 yards to make it a 15-0 lead before the Buccaneers (1-2, 0-2) could blink.
"That's not what we were expecting," Boyd Buchanan coach Jeremy Bosken said. "We had faith in the game plan and faith in our kids. It's a game of execution, and they (CCS) did a great job of executing."
A fake field goal gave CCS a touchdown through the air in the second quarter as Sam Hall connected with Cole Headrick. Boyd Buchanan ended the shutout with 3:17 left in the quarter on a 25-yard connection from Eli Morris to Caden Johnson.
However, the Chargers answered with a 53-yard strike from Hall to Scott just 1:19 later. That would become a theme: Any time the Bucs scored, the Chargers were quick to respond.
Mariakis wasn't going to turn down the insurance, despite the lead never being in jeopardy.
"They're a quick-scoring team, and they're well coached," he said. "So, even with a big lead, we never felt comfortable."
CCS struck first in the second half, too, with Scott scoring his third touchdown of the game, this time back on the ground. Boyd Buchanan scored on another pass from Morris to JaMichael McGoy to cut the deficit to 36-14, but CCS opened the final quarter with a 24-yard strike on a halfback pass from Davoris Havis to AJ Wallace.
The teams then traded another pair of touchdowns to wrap up. Morris again connected with Johnson through the air for the Bucs, and Baxter found paydirt for the Chargers on a 51-yard run.
The three scoring tosses by Morris and the combined 157 rushing yards from Matthew Stone and David Dixon provided some offensive bright spots on an otherwise dim senior night for the Bucs.
Contact Idris Garcia at sports@timesfreepress.com.