Dillon Christian School won the state football championship on Saturday by defeating Pee Dee Academy. Here is a photo gallery from the game:

PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Johnnie Daniels/The Dillon Herald
Click once on a photo to bring it into a single screen, and then again to enlarge.

By Craig Brown
The Dillon Christian School Warriors repeated as SCISA Class A state champions as they defeated their arch rivals, Pee Dee Academy Golden Eagles Saturday in Columbia at Benedict College by a score of 40-21.
Earlier in the season the Warriors trounced the Eagles on their home field in Mullins 58-28, but the Warriors knew that they would be facing a more determined foe on Saturday.
Early in the season the Warriors were not considered a favorite to return to the championship game and the top contenders were Pee Dee Academy and Carolina Academy.
The Warriors started out losing their first two games and were written out of any post season play after those early losses.
The Warriors went on an eleven game winning streak and did not have a close contest in those eleven matchups. In fact the Warriors defeated both Pee Dee and Carolina in the regular season and the final two games of the playoffs.
The Warriors began playing football 12 years ago and have made it to the title game five times winning four.
Of the four victorious teams this 2017 team could be considered the one that had to overcome the most. Several inexperienced players had to take over positions that had previously been held by some of the areas most talented football players. Three of last year’s undefeated team are in the college ranks now and replacing them was not going to be easy.
Warrior Head Coach Christian Wolfe and Assistant Head Coach Phillip Price are to be commended and should receive coaches of the year honors for taking such an inexperienced program that looked lost early on and turning it into a powerhouse champion by season’s end.
The Golden Eagles won the coin toss and deferred to kick. The Eagles went for the onside kick and recovered but one of the Eagle players touched the ball before it went five yards and the Warriors had the ball at mid field to start the game. The old coach Lou Holtz stated that when a team decides to use trick plays then that team admits that it can’t beat the other team straight up.
On first down, Demontez Alford took the hand-off from Diaz Alexander and raced 51 yards for the touchdown. Gage Bazemore added the point after kick to give the Warriors a 7-0 lead with 11:45 left in the first quarter.
The Warrior defense held the Eagles and went back on offense deep in their own territory. Warrior quarterback Diaz Alexander faded back to pass and found Alford open and hit him with a pass twenty yards down field. Alford secured the ball and broke a few tackles on his way to his second touchdown. The touchdown pass covered 74 yards. The conversion failed holding the Warrior lead to 13-0 with 6:29 left in the first quarter. The Golden Eagles did not come to lose and were not intimidated with these two Warrior quick scores. The Eagles put together a very impressive drive that ended with Eagle quarterback Jake Lane crossing the goal from one yard out. Kyle Zeman hit the point after kick to close the Warrior lead to 13-7 with 3:29 left in the first quarter. The first quarter would end with this score. On the Warriors second offensive possession of the second quarter, Alexander finished the drive calling his own number taking the ball 19 yards for the touchdown. Bazemore’s point after kick gave the Warriors a 20-7 lead. The Warriors would take this lead into the half time break. On the Warriors first offensive possession of the third quarter, Running back Garrett Collins broke three tackles on his way to a 33 yard touchdown run. Bazemore added the point after kick to give the Warriors a 27-7 lead with 7:15 left in the third quarter. With 46 seconds left in the third quarter, Alexander picked up his second rushing touchdown with a 38 yard breaking several tackles along the way all-out effort run. Bazemore’s kick increased the Warrior lead to 34-7. The Golden Eagles would not go away and aided by some good passing and receiving found themselves on the Warrior one yard line where Lane powered his way in for the Eagle touchdown. Zeman’s kick narrowed the Warrior lead to 34-14 with 11:09 left in the fourth quarter. The score sparked life into the Eagles and they began to fight with renewed vigor. The Warriors may have been going for ball control, clock running at this point in the game and got stopped by the Eagle defense at the Warrior thirty yard line. Former end zone player of the week, Mckinley Smith powered his way to the Warrior punter that was fielding a bad snap and blocked the kick that sent the ball toward the Warriors end zone. Danny Barker picked the ball up and took it in for the Golden Eagle touchdown. Zeman’s extra point kick put the Eagles to within 13 points of the Warriors at 34-21. The Warriors decided they had had enough of this and on their next offensive possession Alexander picked up rushing touchdown three with another 38 yard run. The point after failed holding the Warrior lead to 40-21 with 3:31 left in the fourth quarter. The Warriors put together one more offensive drive but halted the drive at the one foot line in a show of sportsmanship. Coach Wolfe stated that this was a special team. It may not have had the talent of some of the past Warrior teams but it had the heart and attitude of a winner and for that reason they will be remembered as one of the greatest Warrior teams. Coach Phillip Price stated that the Warriors prepared for each game. We made no excuses for our early losses and remedied the cause with game preparation. It should be noted that Coach Price was on the first Warrior team to make it to the title game. The Warriors lost that game to Dorchester Academy a team the Warriors had beaten in the regular season. For this reason Coach Price knew that it is harder to beat a team twice in the same season. Coaches Wolfe and Price put together what turned out to be unstoppable game plans to take down the two previously favored teams in the conference and beat them twice in the same season. Assistant coaches Kaleb Griffin and Matt Adams are also credited with their efforts in this championship season. On offense for the Warriors, Diaz Alexander had 207 yards rushing on 23 carries with three touchdowns and had 109 yards passing with a touchdown, Demontez Alford had 168 yards rushing on 15 carries with a touchdown and caught a 74 yard touchdown pass, Garrett Collins had 59 yards on six carries with a touchdown, and Jackson Wolfe caught a pass for 35 yards. Gage Bazemore is usually perfect in extra points but missed on two of six attempts that were not his fault. The Warrior long snapping had trouble on the artificial turf at Benedict that resulted in the holder having trouble getting the ball on the tee. Bazemore is considered the premier kicker in the league. On defense for the Warriors, John Rourke had nine tackles, seven assists with an interception and a quarterback sack, Garrett Collins and Azeon Brown had eight tackles, six assists each with Collins adding an interception and Brown getting a quarterback sack, Storm Sanderson had five tackles, five assist with a quarterback sack, Demontez Alford and Evan Paul had five tackles, three assists each with Alford getting an interception with a 60 yard return and Paul adding a quarterback sack, Jared Ivey and Ian Patterson had four tackles two assists each, Caleb Boykin and Samuel Coleman three tackles, four assists and a quarterback sack each, Diaz Alexander and Jackson Wolfe had three tackles each, Corbin Wethington, Mason Bailey and Gage Hunt added a tackle and an assist each, Jacob Dubose and Barnes Causey had a tackle each. We salute the Warriors for a great season adding one more championship title for a Dillon County Team.