History was made for Trinity Classical Academy as the Knights won their first-round game in the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division 14 playoffs.
The Knights defeated the Gabrielino Eagles, 47-35, on Friday at Hart High School and advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs for the first time in their history.
“We were playing a school [Gabrielino] that had more seniors on their football roster than we had in our entire high school,” Trinity head coach Dave Eastham said. “They had 23 seniors, and we only suited up 23 kids total for the game. So, we had to put in a new offense because we have some kids out and after having a tough loss to Santa Rosa where we really didn’t play well, we didn’t know what we were going to get.”
But to Eastman’s surprise, the Knight’s offense ran for 625 yards and seven touchdowns in the win, a historic performance on a historic night.
Quarterback Andrew Carlson and running back Hudson Sweitzer ran for 278 and 347 yards, respectively, on 43 carries combined.
“We were looking to control the tempo of the game, and it just blew me away when I heard how many yards at the end,” Eastham said. “It’s a testament to Andrew and Hudson for running hard, but they’re not going anywhere without that offensive line and those receivers blocking for them.”
Not only did Carlson have a big night offensively, but on defense, too, as the two-way junior tallied 10 tackles in the win along with a tackle for loss.
For Eastham, to have players contributing on both offense and defense isn’t a surprise for him, but more is a testament to his players on the roster as they began the season with 29 players and only suited up 23 on Friday.
All season long, the Knights have battled injuries with numerous players out due to season-ending injuries and, with an already limited roster size, it can be tough for a team to even win a game.
But for the Trinity football program, all that matters to Eastham is the 11 players who are out on the field and that they like their chances no matter who the opponent is.
“We haven’t been as lucky with the injuries this year as we have been in the past, but regardless, 11 guys get to be on the field for them, and 11 guys are on the field for us,” he said. “It’s going to be an uphill battle, but nothing in life is easy. And I will always, you know, tell our kids that this is one of the greatest things to prepare them because life is hard.”
And the path for a Southern Section title is only going to get harder for Eastham and the Knights as they will host last season’s Division 14 champions, the Pioneer Titans.
This season, the Titans are 5-6 overall and coming off a first-round win over Godinez Fundamental.
But if last week’s offensive performance is any indication of how the team will play on Friday, the Knights have to like their odds for the chance to win their second playoff game.
“It gets harder each and every week you get better and better teams,” Eastham said. “[Pioneer] is a bigger school than us, they have more kids. So, we’re just hoping that the boys come out and play their best. And that’s all I really care about.”
The Knights host the Titans on Friday at Hart High School with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
