STEENS — Friday night signaled a change for Columbus Christian Academy football.
After being a Midsouth Association of Independent Schools Class 2A school since 2019, the Rams moved up to a 3A classification before the 2023-24 academic year.
That also meant a switch from 8-man football to 11-man football, complete with a head coaching change as Starkville Academy assistant coach Chris Craven took over the reins.
CCA’s season opener didn’t go as planned, losing 28-0 to Benton Academy, but it’s the first of many steps for the program moving forward.
“It takes a lot of work to learn how to play football,” Craven said. “We have a lot of work ahead of us. They’re in a learning stage. … We’re young. We’re teaching it, keeping it simple and those are the things they have to work on.”
Benton (1-1) stormed out to a 28-0 halftime lead, scoring 14 points in both the first and second quarters, and looked poised to score more in the second half.
However, the Rams (0-1) defense stepped up in a big way, keeping the Raiders off the board despite a thin bench and numerous injuries, mostly cramps, sustained in the second half.
“They didn’t give up,” Craven said. “They didn’t quit. You can’t ask for much more than that, but the things they’re lacking come with knowledge of how to play the game. … We work on that at practice, so we’ll keep working.”
The Raiders from the jump had an advantage of more players on its roster, plus a team that was established in 11-man football, not to mention height and size differences.
Even with more depth, Benton began running out of steam in the second half, allowing CCA to get some momentum going.
Above anything, the running game for the Rams was its strength, with sophomore Ja’Mario Latham breaking off some sizable runs.
“I feel like we did well, but we could have done better,” Latham said. “Personally, I don’t think I did my best, but I’m still learning. We’re still learning.”
Plenty of football is ahead for the Rams, who travel to play Calhoun Academy next week. As Craven talked about postgame, this season will undoubtedly be a learning curve for all those involved.
Nonetheless, the foundation for the rest of the season was laid on Friday night with plenty of positives to build on.
“I’m proud of them for seeing that they have what it takes to get out here and do it,” Craven said. “I think that’s a foundational thing that they can improve on. It’s down in there. It’s hard on them, but it’s really down in there.”
Benton Academy 28, Columbus Christian Academy 0
Benton Academy (1-1) 14 14 0 0 — 28
Columbus Christian Academy (0-1) 0 0 0 0 — 0
First quarter
BA — Garrett Vandevere 18 pass from James Patterson (Evan Michael Williams kick), clock 9:11
BA — Patterson 55 run (Williams kick), clock 5:54
Second quarter
BA — Blocked punt recovered in end zone (Williams kick), clock 6:02
BA — Cooper Freeman 6 run (Williams kick), clock 3:44
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