Berean Christian holds off Village Academy in Kickoff Classic

DELRAY BEACH – Down 20-19 with less than two minutes left in the game, Berean Christian needed to do something in last night’s (Aug. 16) kickoff classic.

Led by senior quarterback Wade Gill, the Bulldogs engineered a 75-yard march to the end zone that culminated with 18.8 seconds left on the clock. The game’s defining moment came when Gill connected with junior wideout Rahmsley Estime for the score, which gave Berean Christian a 25-20 lead over Village Academy.

After the successful extra point, the Tigers plan was to go for the tie and possible win on a long run.

Unfortunately for them, the Bulldogs knew exactly what they were going to do next.

To close the game out, Village Academy ran the ball on at least two plays. The final run resulted in a stripped fumble, recovery, and score by Caleb Goertzen as time expired.

Final score: Berean Christian 32, Village Academy 20

“They were able to respond and make the plays that they did,” Berean Christian head coach Mario Jackson said. “It just shows a level of maturity from where we have been to where we are now.”

Goertzen reflected on the clutch moments that took place for Berean Christian.

“We were all encouraging each other and saying to each other, ‘Play 10 seconds all out,’”Goertzen said. “We knew adversity was going to come at any time in the game. The secondary had to come in and step up as well. They did their jobs.”

Gill felt that the offensive line made this win possible.

“I give credit to our o-line,” Gill said. “I wouldn’t have done anything if it wasn’t for them.”

Berean Christian took a 13-0 halftime lead before extending it to 19-0 early in the third. But Village Academy came all the way back in the fourth to take that one-point lead, thanks to a long touchdown run of 50+ yards by sophomore running back Darrisse Bridgett.

It proved to be a great battle on both sides of the ball, even though the two teams would like to improve on some aspects of their respective games.

“It was a learning experience,” Village Academy head coach Gad Jacobs said.

KICKOFF CLASSIC FINAL SCORES: PALM BEACH COUNTY

Jupiter 28, Okeechobee 21
Jefferson (Tampa) 30, Pahokee 17
Rockledge 44, Palm Beach Lakes 0
Glades Central 36, Everglades 0
American Heritage (Delray Beach) 35, Dwyer 0
Forest Hill 32, Port St. Lucie 26
Treasure Coast 43, Wellington 7
Miami Northwestern 36, Palm Beach Central 6
Lake Worth 30, Coral Glades 6
South Fork 34, Suncoast 6
Cardinal Newman 34, North Broward Prep 0
Benjamin 35, Jensen Beach 20
Santaluces 41, Boynton Beach 0
Park Vista 19, Seminole Ridge 7
Archbishop McCarthy 19, West Boca Raton 12
Boca Raton Christian 8, St. John Paul II 0 – Thursday, Aug. 15
Monarch 31, John I. Leonard 0 – Thursday, Aug. 15
Atlantic 12, Deerfield Beach 10 – Thursday, Aug. 15
Pine Crest 35, Glades Day 13 – Thursday, Aug. 15
Olympic Heights 20, Somerset Academy Canyons 0 – Thursday, Aug. 15
St. Andrews 33, Jupiter Christian 0 – Thursday, Aug. 15
Inlet Grove at St. Brendan’s (Miami) – Today (Aug. 17)