Faith Academy opens district with 53-7 win over Holy Trinity
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
TEMPLE — From the beginning, the Faith Academy football team seized control of the Division III District 3 opener against Temple Holy Trinity en route to a 53-7 victory Oct. 11.
The Flames (7-0, 1-0) are on a 17-game regular-season winning streak.
“We had some good focus and hard work early,” Faith head coach Russ Roberts said. “And, late in the game, our backups stopped them on the last drive. We’re equally proud of that.”
Junior running back Royale Brown got the Faith scoring started in a hurry thanks to a 15-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Sophomore Jonathan Reyes added the extra point for 7-0 Flames lead.
Brown added two more touchdowns, one from a yard out and another from five yards away. Junior tight end Hanner Shipley and sophomore running back Jacob Metcalf each caught two-point passes.
Metcalf added a 74-yard touchdown run with Reyes converting on the extra point for a 30-0 halftime lead.
In the third, Brown added touchdown No. 4, this time from six yards out. Shipley caught his second two-point pass of the night for a 38-0 lead.
Later, senior quarterback Austin Ellis scampered into the end zone on a 10-yard run and then added the two-point run for a 46-0 advantage.
After the Celtics scored on a one-yard plunge, Brown ran back a kickoff 85 yards for Faith’s final touchdown.
Roberts acknowledged Brown has played well in several games, adding the Flames took advantage of the Celtics defense.
“They were loaded up to stop our power game,” he said. “They were rolled up on the inside. So we beat them with our speed on the outside.”
As for the Faith defense, the coach said he was pleased the Flames committed to play well for 48 minutes, especially after establishing such a big lead.
“I thought they kept good focus,” he said. “We set several goals, we kept improving. I thought Holy Trinity played good football. To get the first district win is gratifying.”
Faith Academy travels to Texas School for the Deaf, 1102 S. Congress Ave. in Austin, on Oct. 18. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
jfierro@thepicayune.com