Bethel Christian looks to capture Division II 8-man football state title

Despite all the adversity Bethel Christian football has been through in 2019, they’re one win away from a state championship.

The Trojans will head on the road to face Halifax Academy in the NCISAA D-II 8-man state championship game on Friday night in Roanoke Rapids. This comes after avenging last year’s playoff loss to defending champion Northeast-Hobgood Academy with a 30-14 victory last week.

It’s been a 2019 season filled with ups and downs for head coach Brick Crowder and his team. A September 20th game against Wayne Christian/Goldsboro Home School ended in a fight and resulted in a forfeit loss. It also led to multiple Trojan players getting suspended for most of the regular season.

That game changed their entire regular season outlook. After starting the season 3-0, they had back-to-back losses to their opponent on Friday, a Vikings squad that comes into this game with a 9-1 record. Regardless of what’s taken place, the Trojans are still in a position to win its second state title in four years.

Led by quarterback Conner Williams, wide receivers Quan Hamilton and Jeremiah Washington, and running backs Josh Sutton and Rodney Warren, Bethel Christian has a chance to do something special. Warren and Sutton each went for over 100 yards rushing in their playoff semifinal win last week.

However, this group of Trojan seniors will have to contain Halifax running back Eli Harris who has been borderline unstoppable all season long. Harris comes into this game with over 2,000 yards rushing and 40 total touchdowns (30 rushing, 10 receiving). He and the Vikings caused problems for the Trojans in both of their regular season games: a 70-48 win on Sep. 27 and a 40-16 win on Oct. 11.

However, both of those games came when Bethel Christian had most of their key players suspended. This will be a different Trojans team that travels to Roanoke Rapids when they meet Halifax Academy for the third time this season. After two tough regular season losses to a very good Vikings team, this game on Friday is the one that will truly count because a state championship is on the line.

Follow the game using the hashtag #NeuseNewsScores on Twitter Friday night.