Anthony Sharp hasn’t had much time to think about the final football game of his prep career.
After all, two days is hardly enough time to recount the memories Sharp and his Victory Christian Academy football teammates created Friday night in a 44-8 victory against Tuscaloosa Christian in the Christian Football Association title game.
It’s not like Sharp had time Monday to consider the role he played in the school’s fourth CFA championship, either. That’s because instead of going to football practice to begin another week, Sharp was on to another season and another sport — boys basketball — to begin another quest for a title.
At small schools like Victory Christian, student-athletes like Sharp have little time to savor their wins or to regroup between seasons. For Sharp, though, the latest title was especially sweet because it came against the school’s archrival and it helped him end his football career as one of the school’s most accomplished players.
On Friday, Sharp capped his career by rushing for three touchdowns, catching two passes for touchdowns, blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown, and playing a solid game on defense to help the Rams avenge a regular-season loss to the Warriors and finish 10-1.
For his accomplishments, Sharp is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
“It has hit me that we won a championship, but it hasn’t hit me that that was my last game,” Sharp said. “It definitely made a special way to go out, beating them on their home field for the championship. It gave the seniors and everybody else involved a sense of redemption that we took what was ours.”
Sharp rushed for 73 yards and had three catches for 125 yards and was named the title game MVP. His rushing touchdowns gave him 34 for the season and helped him eclipse the 1,600-yard mark. His receiving touchdowns gave him 12 on the season and allowed him to finish the season with 36 catches for 895 yards. His 198-yard effort pushed him over 3,000 total yards this season.
Sharp said the Eagles felt they should have won the first meeting — a 70-67 Tuscaloosa Christian victory, also in Cottondale, Alabama. But Victory Christian cleaned up the mistakes they made in that game and delivered a more aggressive defensive effort. Sharp said that performance was satisfying because the team had worked so hard since the offseason to realize that goal.
For others, like Sharp, Bo McCrary, Shane Bradford, and Cody Bolton — seniors who played for the past four years — the victory was a little sweeter because the Eagles had lost the last three playoff meetings against the Warriors, including a 20-14 decision in the 2013 CFA title game. Senior Burkley Jernigan played with the team for the past three seasons.
Victory Christian coach Chris Hamm praised all of the seniors for helping the program realize its title aspirations. He said Sharp did everything he could to make his time wearing No. 21 memorable.
“Anthony has always been the kind of guy who will do whatever the team needs him to do,” Hamm said. “He could have played any offensive position as far as a skill position goes. … He has been able to do a little bit of it all.”
Hamm said the Eagles could have used Sharp at quarterback this season, but he felt Sharp’s skills were better suited to a variety of roles so defenses never knew where he was going to be. He showed that versatility Friday night, taking handoffs, catching passes, and even quarterbacking the team on two-point conversions. Hamm said Sharp also teamed with Reed Fulgham to do a solid job at linebacker.
“On both sides of the ball he was multi-talented,” Hamm said. “That makes coaches look real good.”
This season, Victory Christian wasn’t going to be denied in part because Sharp saw a chance to solidify his place as one of the school’s best players to wear No. 21 on the football field. Sharp credited former Victory Christian player Landon Ellis, who also wore No. 21, for helping prepare the players in the offseason. He felt a sense of pride that he and his classmates could win Friday night so they could help past players be a part of the excitement after dealing with their share of frustration against Tuscaloosa Christian.
“Football was special to me because Landon and them didn’t get to go out the way they wanted to,” Sharp said. “I know it never will make them feel better about that game, but it helps heal those wounds.”
Earlier in his time at Victory Christian, Sharp was part of a junior varsity basketball team that won a championship. Last school year, Sharp was part of the baseball team’s state title. After playing a prominent role in his final football game, Sharp credited his teammates and his coaches for helping put him in so many positions to excel. His goal is to play at the next level, but he admitted he isn’t sure which sport he will play. Regardless of which sport he picks, Sharp feels he has matured into a more vocal leader and someone who plays with a “killer instinct” that drives his teammates to play their best.
“In my mind before the game, I said if I could physically go, I was going to 100 percent on every play. It was my last time,” Sharp said. “We said in the locker room, ‘The guy across from you, dominate him. Don’t let up, and every play should be 100 percent, all you have got. For the seniors, it was 100 percent for your whole career. There was a little extra juice in each play.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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