The game was on the line, Trinity Christian had made a terrific 4th quarter comeback where they were down 23-7 at the start of play. Henry Brodnax got hot passing the football though and helped navigate the Lions back in striking distance to take the lead.
With the clock winding down, and Trinity Christian around midfield, they were looking for nothing short of a miracle, and it was answered. Brodnax dropped back, located a streaking Cam Roach down the middle of the field, and lofted the pass out. Roach had a step on the defender, he hustled under the football catching it in stride and went sprinting the final 15 yards into the endzone.
The score clinched an epic comeback for Trinity Christian and earned them the top spot for our plays of the week. We caught up with the two seniors on what they saw right before the big score.
“We had been trying to get the deep post to Cam all game. I knew it was just a matter of time before we could break away and get the big play. When the call was made, I knew that we had a really good chance to make a big play, and no better guy to throw it to than Cam. I have to give credit to my o-line for giving me great protection in order to go through my progression and make the throw,” Brodnax recalled.
Roach additionally remarked, “When the play was called I knew I was going to be open, and in practice, we’ve thrown that play a bunch of times, so I was positive in that Henry was going to make that throw.”
The throw was certainly made, and just in a blink of an eye Trinity Christian has struck down two 4A powerhouses in a row. Even more crucially, these two wins over Starr’s Mill and Whitewater have provided Trinity Christian an open alleyway to the Region Championship.
“It feels amazing to get two big wins back to back. I am very confident in our team because we have heart and we won’t give up,” Roach said on the two wins.
Brodnax who finished last week’s game with 366 yards passing also talked about the big move up from Class A Private to now in 4A this season and what these two region wins mean.
“All summer the team has been talking about how we are prepared for the move up to 4A. Even though it can be daunting to play schools with enrollment twice that of yours, we believed that we could compete with anyone around us and I think we’ve shown that. It feels great that all the hard work from freshman all the way to senior year has paid off in two huge games!”
Rest assured, these games against Whitewater and Starr’s Mill should prove to be tough rivalry matchups in the coming years. They are certainly key wins and a fixture of the 2022 season, but in the coming weeks, it doesn’t get much easier. Trinity Christian faces off against LaGrange next, who is just outside our top 10 in 4A, and then they will face off against #4 Troup on 10/28, which could conceivably decide who wins the Region 4 Championship.
Brodnax, being the signal-caller of the offense, has a concentrated approach that is shared across the Trinity Christian squad.
“Our goal every week is to prepare and compete like it is our last game. Right now our goal is a Region Championship and I’m confident that it is a reachable goal. Right now, though, we prepare every day with great focus and energy in order to reach our goal,” Brodnax said.
The final stretch for Trinity Christian should be very interesting. They had a few bumps to start the season, after all, they had lost some key contributors to last year’s Class A Private Champions, but a few senior leaders like Cam Roach and Henry Brodnax have stepped up to the plate and helped steer the program in a winning direction.
On the recruiting front, both class of ’23 students has yet to get much traction. Roach talked about how it has been a struggle but feels like the upcoming games will provide an opportunity to show his college potential. Brodnax on the other hand has always thought of himself as more of a baseball player (his junior year baseball stats definitely impress), but if an opportunity were to arise that included football he would consider it to be a blessing.
One thing is for sure, the two seniors have some chemistry on the field, and that synergy bubbled up to a game-winning eruption last week against Whitewater. Now, Trinity Christian has the attention of everyone in 4A, meanwhile, they enjoy a BYE for this week, but ultimately turn their focus to LaGrange on 10/21.
