Defense leads Stratford to win over Calvary Day

SAVANNAH -- Stratford's game with Calvary Day on Friday in the GHSA Class A private school playoffs turned into a defensive standoff with a break here or there being the difference.

And Stratford was the team that created its own breaks with a pair of timely interceptions as the Eagles pulled out a 14-7 win to advance to the quarterfinals.

"I thought it would be a 21-7, 14-10 type game," Eagles head coach Mark Farriba said. "They've got the best defense we've played against all year. I knew we would have to play good defense (Friday).

"We struggled our last time out (a 48-28 loss to Aquinas), but our defense stepped it up (Friday). Our defense won it."

The Eagles (8-3) averaged 40.9 points per game during the regular season, and Calvary (9-2) averaged 32, but both offenses struggled on a night when Stratford, in its second year as a GHSA member, got its first GHSA playoff win. Stratford will play at Pinecrest next week.

Other than a second-quarter touchdown drive highlighted by Nolan Smith's 60-yard run, the Cavaliers' offense was stymied by an Eagles' defense.

"(It) was a total team effort," Farriba said. "I couldn't single anyone out. They all did a great job."

Stratford entered the game averaging 298 yards per game rushing and finished with 159 after being held to 30 in the first half. The Cavaliers had 150 on the ground but managed only 27 in the second half.

After a scoreless first quarter in which the two teams were content to battle for field position, Calvary Day got on the board on a 1-yard run by Smith to cap a six-play, 73-yard drive.

That was the last time the Cavaliers were to get near the goal line until the fourth quarter when O'Showen Williams picked off a pass in the end zone with 3:11 to play to seal the win.

Quintez Cephus, who caught five passes for 109 yards, got the Eagles on the board with 13 seconds left in the half when he scored on a 1-yard run that actually covered closer to 40. Cephus got the ball on a reverse to the left and ran almost to the sideline before reversing his and then going around the right side for the touchdown.

Cephus set up what proved to be the game winning touchdown when he intercepted a pass at the Calvary 41-yard line. From there Stratford scored in seven plays with Williams bulling his way in from the 4.

This story was originally published November 21, 2015 at 12:09 AM with the headline "Defense leads Stratford to win over Calvary Day ."