The message is simple: Beat TCA.
The black, block letters jump off the red construction paper that is plastered throughout the hallways at Victory Christian Academy.
If you”re a fan of the Eagles, you know TCA stands for Tuscaloosa Christian Academy, the archrival of Victory Christian.
But even the staunchest VCA supporter couldn”t have imagined the school”s football team would be where it is — 6-0 and riding a 28-game winning streak — entering its game at 7 p.m. Friday against TCA in Cottondale, Ala.
“We felt Tuscaloosa was going to be one of the tougher teams and that we had a good team and that we would be able to compete,” Victory Christian coach Chris Hamm said. “We felt like early on it was going to come down to this.”
Those fans held out hope the two-time defending Christian Football Association champions could replace leaders like Parker Eaves and Daylan Hairston and keep their championship run alive.
The contributions of junior quarterback and junior defensive back/running back Kaleb Holliness have helped the Eagles stay on track.
Sims, a 6-foot-1, 160-pounder, has grown into being Eaves” replacement. After some struggles early on, Sims has thrown 11 touchdown passes and is a key piece to the Eagles” attack.
“Marcus has handled the offense well and learned the plays,” said Hamm, who believes Sims has grown the most of any player on the roster. “We pared down the offense a little bit and didn”t run as much and didn”t put him in positions for him to be carrying the load.”
Sims was 5-for-12 for 224 yards with two touchdown passes and four interceptions in a 27-6 victory against New Life Christian on Sept. 3. The 27 points was the lowest single-game output by the Eagles since a 58-18 loss to Tabernacle Christian on Oct. 26, 2007.
Last week in a 68-8 victory against North River, Sims showed how much he has grown as a quarterback. Hamm said Sims came to him after one series and saw from reading the defense that one of the Eagles” plays would work if they ran it a certain way. When the team ran the play later in the game, they gained more than 30 yards on it, and Hamm said it has added a new wrinkle to the attack.
Sims said he has come a long way from early in the season when he worried he wouldn”t be able to remember all of the plays.
“(I remember thinking) Wow, I am quarterback now,” Sims said. “I worried I was going to throw an interception or I wasn”t going to get the ball off in time. After I threw the first touchdown pass in the first game I felt more comfortable.”
Holliness, who started last year in the CFA title game, has built on that experience and has matured into a defensive stopper with Landon Ellis in the secondary. The 5-6, 125-pound Holliness leads the team with nine interceptions. He also is fifth on the squad with 31 tackles.
Holliness said he gained confidence playing in Victory Christian”s 49-6 victory against Tuscaloosa Christian. The win capped a second consecutive undefeated season and set the stage for him to make bigger contributions this year.
“Kaleb has played real good on defense,” Hamm said. “We had the idea he was going to be able to do it after last year”s championship game.”
With Ellis, a senior who has five interceptions at the other cornerback, opponents have attempted to pick on Holliness. But he has used his speed, quickness, and knowledge of the game to defend bigger receivers and to help the Eagles allow only 49 points this season.
“I am just doing what I have to do,” Holliness said. “I have grown a little bit, but not too much. I am still learning a couple of things and need to work on some stuff, but I feel comfortable.”
Holliness said the Eagles are ready to play what could be the first of two games against TCA. Today”s game will set the pairings for the four-team CFA playoffs, which begin next week. Victory Christian”s win last week against North River secured it a home game, but the CFA title game will be at Tuscaloosa Christian.
That doesn”t faze Holliness or Sims, who know both teams need to take care of business before they think about that matchup, or any more colorful signs that might remind them about their archrivals.
“They want to beat us as much as we want to beat them,” Holliness said. “We just have got to go out there and play.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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