CONTRIBUTED BY THE SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN PATRIOTS
OPELIKA -- It was a historic week for the Southern Christian Patriots of Opelika, who sliced their way through the Division 3 National Championships in Panama City, Florida, to capture the first national title in school history. Over the course of two games, the Patriots showcased a relentless ground attack, extremely tough defense and a senior class determined to finish their high school careers as national champions.
Southern Christian opened the tournament on Thursday, Nov. 13, with a commanding 39-12 victory over the Coastal Hurricanes out of South Georgia. Senior running back Lawton Curran set the tone early, chewing up 118 yards on just six carries, scoring twice on the ground. Senior Jagger Scott added 97 rushing yards and a touchdown, continuing his signature dominance between the tackles.
With PAC pass defenders double teaming the Patriots most dominant receiver, senior Jedd Scott, enter junior wide receiver Ash Forman. Ash provided a spark through the air by hauling in a 46-yard touchdown reception. Likewise, senior QB, Elijah Bailey added gas to the flames with two rushing scores and throwing for another.
After halftime, the Patriots' defense completely took over, shutting down and shutting out the Hurricanes while securing SCA a spot in the championship game.
"I am most proud of our linemen, they locked down the trenches and put constant pressure on the QB," Jagger Scott said. "They really messed up Coastal's air raid offense, especially the second half."
On Saturday, Nov. 15, the Patriots faced the defending NFHA Division I national champion PAC Panthers out of Providence, South Carolina. But what many expected to be a competitive matchup turned into a statement win for Southern Christian, as the Patriots secured a 27-0 shutout victory. The defense delivered one of its best performances of the season, highlighted by a critical bone jarring, fourth-and-goal stop at the one yard line from senior defensive back Jedd Scott. Scott preserved the shutout for the Pats and also energized the sideline with his big hit.
Offensively, the Patriots leaned heavily on their powerful run game once again. Curran recorded his second straight 100-yard rushing performance with a touchdown. Jagger Scott added over 100 yards and two touchdowns, and Bailey chipped in another 100-yard game with a score of his own.
"It's good to mix it up sometimes but what we really learned in our loss to East Central was that our best game is the ground and pound," Patriot's head coach Jason Scott said. "Jagger is very tough to stop when he's coming through the trenches, especially with our offensive line hitting on all cylinders. Once they pile up eight guys in the box to stop him, we throw the ball out to Jedd, that's a touchdown, or we toss sweep to Lawton, that's a touchdown. And if they spread out, back to Jagger up the gut behind Brandon and Gabe, that's a touchdown."
With a dominant two-game display, Southern Christian capped off the 11-2 season as Division 3 National Champions -- the first national title in school history and a moment this senior class will remember forever.
All tournament players for the Patriots were seniors Elijah Bailey, Jedd Scott, Jagger Scott and Lawton Curran. Honorable mentions to seniors Gabe Phinney and Brandon Bell, along with Junior Sam Terry.
With the Division 3 win from Southern Christian, the Alabama Christian Sports Conference (ACSC), swept the entire NFHA tournament with two other teams from the ACSC winning in both the other divisions. Evangel Lighting won Division 1 and East Central won Division 2, respectively.
"There are four letters that all the 2025 NFHA national champion teams have in common, those are A.C.S.C.," coach Tim Smith said.
"When we were ranked in the top three they said we were overrated, when we fell out of the top 25 they said we weren't any good," Jason Scott said. "I think these teams in the ACSC that dominated and swept the tournament in Panama City have shown why the ACSC is without question the "SEC of eight-man football" in the Southeast!"