Trinity Christian football looks to knock off defending champ in state title game

Trinity Christian is vying for its fifth state title this week and its second in the last five years.

The Crusaders (10-1) roll into Asheville for Friday's NCISAA football championship on the home field of defending champion The Asheville School (7-3) with a talent-filled roster and a seven-game winning streak.

But none of that happens without the gains this squad has made in terms of bigger-than-the-game ideals.

"When you think all the way back to our first day of practice, to see how far we've come in terms of toughness, maturity, overcoming challenges, all those areas, there's been a tremendous amount of growth with this team," coach Chuck Webster said ahead of Friday's matchup.

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When Webster tackles a challenge, he goes all in. "Football is a microcosm of life," he says, and when he prepares his team for the game, they're learning principles that will guide them well beyond their playing days.

"Climb those mountains and be successful," he says. "That's why I do this."

It makes sense then that Webster has taken a set of star-powered individuals and wound up with a unified team ready to claim a state title.

Two quarterbacks transferred to Trinity Christian this season with proven resumes in Elijiah Oehkle and Xayden Watson. Oehkle threw for 536 yards in 10 games as a sophomore at 6-4 Gray's Creek last season, averaging 16.8 yards per catch and passing for five touchdowns. He also ran for 160 yards, including a 47-yard carry, and a TD.

Watson came from Pine Forest, where he ranked third in the All American Conference in total yards with 1,925 — 1,204 passing, 721 rushing in 13 games. He also was the Trojans' starting point guard.

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At Trinity, Oehkle has settled into the QB role while Watson contributes in just about every other way possible.

Asked about Watson's role, Webster said, "His role is to be a phenomenal athlete. He can affect the game in many different ways."

The senior has responded with a team-high 14 total touchdowns, scoring as a running back, receiver, quarterback and defensive player. He averages 9.4 yards per carry, 14.9 yards per catch, 91.5 all-purpose yards per game, and he has picked off six interceptions.

Oehlke, whom Webster calls a bonafide D1 prospect, has thrown for 1,499 yards and run for 216 this season. And he has a nose for the end zone, with 26 touchdown passes this season.

The Crusaders are dynamic, having scored in the 60s twice this year and hanging 72 on GRACE Christian in October. They average 49.4 points per game compared to Asheville's 38.3.

Michael Ross Jr. accounted for 564 all-purpose yards for Trinity this season, most of them receiving, and he's posted 80 points — 11th-most in the state. Watson and Ross share RB duties with Jaden Clifton, Zyon Moyd and Lavarion Peoples.

Asheville's high seeding despite its three losses comes from a weighted strength of schedule thanks to the Blues' matchups against powerful teams like Webb (from Tennessee), Christ Church Episcopal (from South Carolina) and Christ School, the 2020 NCISAA Division II champ that knocked out the Crusaders on their way to the title.

The Blues won last year's state championship game over Covenant Day School, 46-10, and they return that game's leading rusher Caleb Jenkins, and quarterback Ricky Tolbert who threw for 210 yards in the title game as a sophomore.

"They remind us of ourselves," Webster said of The Asheville School. "They've been battle-tested at a high degree. They've had a lot of resistance with their schedule so we know that we have to limit our mistakes and silly penalties like false starts.

"I don't see many weaknesses when I look at tape of them."

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NCISAA football championship Trinity Christian Elijiah Oehkle