Jacksonville Fl- Trinity Christian defeated University Christian 27-6 Friday night to return to the FHSAA State Semifinals. Trinity will face Chaminade-Madonna in the Class 1A Final Four. Trinity advanced to the Class 1M state semifinals last year, but fell to Clearwater Central Catholic. This year, the Conquerors will face a very familiar foe in Chaminade, a team they defeated in the 2020 Class 3A state championship.
They had to defeat a very familiar foe to get to the state semifinals this year in University Christian. They defeated the Christians in the 2023 regional final. They fell to UC in the 2022 regional final. This time, both teams were young and not as deep as in years past however, both teams arrived in their regional final bout through grit and gains.
One area that Trinity gained confidence in is their rushing attack. Head coach Verlon Dorminey, and offensive coordinator Guss Scott knew that in order to win games, this version of the Conquerors would be led by the running game. Against University Christian, Areyion Guyton rushed for two touchdowns in the game. His first, an 18-yard scamper gave Trinity a 13-0 lead in the second quarter.
Areyion Guyton rushes in for a touchdown. Conquers lead 14-0 with 24:7 seconds left in the first @DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/Fneo9dB5Vg
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Hicks Zarah has also been a pivotal presence in the run game this year. Yet, he showed that Trinity can make teams pay through the air as well. He tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Marquez Hicks to score the game’s first points. The score came after the Trinity defense forced a crucial fumble deep in their own territory.
Trailing13-0 in the second quarter, University Christian needed a spark. They got it when Josh Bruton powered his way into the endzone for a 5-yard touchdown. Although the team suffered major injuries this year, head coach David Penland III and staff found ways to get it done. Halftime saw just a one score game between the two private school powers at 13-6.
Areyion Guyton with another rushing touchdown for the conquers
— Where’s Home Podcast (@WheresHomePod) November 30, 2024
UC-6
Trinity- 20@DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/7Ndqa1CA1P
The second half saw Trinity’s defense dominate. They held University Christian scoreless the entire half. With several tackles for loss and 3 sacks on the evening (Terrell Pinkney 1, Raquan Lewis 1, Adrian Williams 0.5, Sykei Teage 0.5) and the Conquerors made life difficult for the Fighting Christians. This made way for Guyton’s second touchdown run of the game. He finished the game with 126 yards. Trinity went ahead 20-6.
Nate Bennet rushes in for a touchdown!
— Where’s Home Podcast (@WheresHomePod) November 30, 2024
Conquers lead 27-6 with 9:04 left in the game@DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/evqTgvkCK0
Trinity’s final score came when Nate Bennett rushed it in for a touchdown with 9:04 left in the game. The Conquerors defense did the rest. Rashon Lewis and Je’Tye Flornoy both caught picks. The unit finished with two interceptions on the night, as the Trinity defense dominated. They are a key reason for the take down of University Christian 27-6.
