FCS Team Details

Final 4 Bound: Paladins Beat Wesleyan in Elite 8; Will Host Hebron in State Semifinals

The Fellowship Christian School varsity football team is headed to the football Final 4 for the fifth time in school history.

On Nov. 29, the No. 2 Paladins defeated No. 10 Wesleyan School, 28-14, in the Elite 8 of the GHSA Private State Football Championships at Bob Lord Field.

It was the eighth consecutive win this season for Fellowship, which hosts No. 6 Hebron Christian Academy of Dacula at home on Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Final 4 action.

The Lions defeated Aquinas, 63-13, at home on Nov. 29 in Elite 8 action to qualify for their first-ever trip to state semifinals in football.

The contest will be a rematch of the regular-season game between Hebron and Fellowship on Aug. 23 at Bob Lord Field that the Lions won 38-18.

In the first half of the Elite 8 contest, it was The Givers and Granby Show as juniors C.J. Givers and Jonathan Granby accounted for a pair of rushing touchdowns in the first half, while the Paladin defense came up big in the second half.

Givers led FCS with 12 carries and 137 yards, while Granby ran 11 times for 75 yards and score. Granby completed 11-of-16 pass attempts for 104 yards. Senior Evan Haynes grabbed six passes for 61 yards, while Givers caught two for 17 yards.

The Paladins finished with 375 total yards, including 271 on the ground.

With the victory, the Paladins improved to 10-2 overall (5-2 at home) and are a win away from reaching the state title game for the second time. FCS is now 8-7 overall all-time against the Wolves in football.

In the final two quarters on Nov. 29, the FCS defense came up with two fourth-down stops, recovered a fumble, registered an interception and allowed just one touchdown.

“What a win,” head coach John Thompson said. “The coaches and I are so proud of the effort. We had to dig deep to beat a very good football team. Our defense did an awesome job in the second half hanging onto the lead our offense built in the first half. If we don’t score four touchdowns in the first half and play opportunistic defense in the second half, we don’t win.”

The Paladins took a 28-7 advantage into the locker room at the half and came up big time and time again in the final 24 minutes.

FCS’ defense ended Wesleyan’s first two possessions with fourth-down stops, forced a fumble to stop the third drive and picked off a pass to finish the Wolves’ fifth drive of the second half. Wesleyan’s lone TD of the second half came on its fourth possession.

“Playoff games are won on defense,” Thompson said. “Our defensive line had great penetration all game and pressured their quarterback. We fought hard through blocks and made tackles. But really it was a total team effort – offense, defense, special teams and kicking, support staff and coaching. We could not have been successful without all the unsung heroes on the field and on the sidelines.

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to play in the Final 4 and face Hebron again. They’re an incredible football team but we’ll be ready.”

To open the second half, Wesleyan drove 68 yards before junior Noah Hazard sacked the Wolves’ quarterback on a 4^th-and-9 play from the 11-yard-line with 6:39 left in the third quarter.

Following a Fellowship punt, the Wolves had another long drive stalled as senior Tristan Costoulas tackled the Wesleyan receiver short of the first down on 4^th-and-10 play from the FCS 25-yard-line eight seconds into the fourth quarter.

The next drive for Wesleyan ended as Granby forced a fumble and fell on the loose ball at the Wesleyan 45-yard-line with 7:24 to play.

A 28-yard TD pass play with 5:35 to go got Wesleyan to within 28-14, but Costoulas’ interception with 2:12 left sealed the victory.

The first half was almost all Paladins.

Each team traded punts to begin the game, but the Paladins struck first. On 3^rd-and-goal from the 8-yard-line, Granby dropped back to pass and wound up to a scramble that started near the 20-yard-line, broke a couple of tackles and found the end zone on a brilliant run with 2:26 left in the opening quarter. Junior Drew Collins kicked the first four straight extra-point kicks to end Fellowship’s second possession (a nine-play, 74-yard drive).

The drive was highlighted by Givers’ 24-yard pick up on second down from the FCS 38-yard line. He broke a tackle, somehow kept his knees from hitting the turf from about an inch or two away from the ground and sprinted down the field.

The Paladins made it 14-0 on their next possession as Givers bounced outside and raced down the sidelines for an 81-yard scoring run with 8:26 left in the second quarter.

Following junior Mack Town’s interception at the Wesleyan 46-yard-line and return to the 27 at 7:21, FCS scored again six plays from scrimmage later.

Givers bounced outside of the left tackle and scored on a 6-yard run to make it 21-0. Givers and Granby each ran three times on the six-play scoring drive.

Wesleyan cut the lead to 21-7 at 3:59, but Granby’s 6-yard TD run on 2^nd-and-4 put Fellowship up by three TDs again (28-7) with 1:21 left in the half. It was a seven-play, 66-yard drive.

On 2^nd-and-6 from the FCS 38, Givers grabbed a short pass from Granby and picked up 15 yards. Later in the drive, Granby took a snap from the shotgun at the Wolves 48 and ran for 25 yards and a first down. The following play Haynes picked up another first down by hauling in a pass for 11 yards.

Costoulas (four solo, five assists) and Town (three solo, six assists) shared the team lead with nine total tackles.

Hazard, Town and senior Josh Petty all recorded one sack, while Hazard’s two tackles for a loss topped the squad.

Did you Know?

• Fellowship has made nine straight trips to the state playoffs and 10 visits overall.
• This year marks the Paladins’ seventh straight trip to the Elite 8 of the state football playoffs.
• FCS has advanced to the Final 4 five times – 2023 GHSA Private State Football Championships, 2022 Class AA playoffs, 2021 Class A Private playoffs, 2019 Class A Private playoffs and 2016 Class A Private playoffs (state runner-up) – in school history.
• The Paladins have now won 10 or more games nine times in school history, including seven in-a-row.
(Photos by Leigh-Ann Thompson)

Week 11 Preview: Paladins Host Wesleyan in Elite 8 Matchup

It’s on the way to becoming a pattern for the varsity football team from Fellowship Christian School.

For the second consecutive playoff game, the Paladins face an opponent it’s played in the regular season.

On Nov. 29, the No. 2 seed Paladins (9-2 overall) face No. 10 Wesleyan School in the Elite 8 of the GHSA Private State Football Championships at Bob Lord Field. FCS enters the game on a seven-game win streak.

This year marks the Paladins’ seventh straight trip to the Elite 8 of the state football playoffs.

The Wolves, who enter the game on a three-game win streak and 10-2 overall, is 2-0 in the playoffs after upsetting No. 7 Christian Heritage, 22-15 with a 10-0 fourth-quarter edge in Dalton on Nov. 22. That same evening, the Paladins defeated No. 15 King’s Ridge, 35-7, in another Sweet 16 game played at Bob Lord Field.

On Oct. 25, the Paladins came away with a 42-17 win over the Wolves in a regular-season contest played in Peachtree Corners.

“Wow! This game will be a battle,” head coach John Thompson said. “We beat them in October, but that all goes out the window. This is the state playoffs now. They know us and we know them. Every game and opponent are very tough in the postseason. This game will come down to execution, the turnover count, time of possession, kicking game and big plays. We also need to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and play smart. I have said it before, but we must tackle well and play smart football. Both teams are coming off big wins in the Sweet 16.”

This year marks Fellowship’s ninth straight trip to the state playoffs and its 10^th overall. FCS owns a 20-8 all-time playoff record.

“We are part of a strong legacy here at FCS,” Thompson said. “The players, coaches and I are all proud to be part of the history here. We’re excited about the opportunity to play on the Friday after Thanksgiving at home and have the chance to reach the state semifinals.”

FCS has advanced to the Final 4 four times – 2022 Class AA playoffs, 2021 Class A Private playoffs, 2019 Class A Private playoffs and 2016 Class A Private playoffs (state runner-up) – in school history.

The Paladins (4-2 at home this year) have scored 363 points in 10 games (one win was by forfeit). Over the past seven games, including the forfeit victory over Saint Francis, FCS has scored 35 or more points six times. The club has allowed 193 points.

Wesleyan has scored 429 points in 12 games and has surrendered 225.

Against King’s Ridge, junior C.J. Givers ran for three touchdowns, while seniors Evan Haynes and Grant Mauldin each ran for one score as the Paladins defeated the Tigers for the second time of the 2024 season.

Overall, the Paladins outgained the Tigers, 339-224 (including 265-177 rushing and 74-47 passing).

FCS has gained 3,365 yards to 3,016 yards allowed this season. That includes a 2,195-1,825 advantage on the ground. Fellowship has earned 1,170 yards passing in 2024, compared to 1,191 yards allowed through the air.

Givers leads FCS rushers with 139 carries, 1,266 yards and 17 touchdowns. Junior quarterback Jonathan Granby has earned 523 yards on 74 attempts with 11 scores.

Granby completed 89-of-157 pass attempts for 1,088 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s thrown just two interceptions and has been sacked only seven times.

Haynes leads FCS receivers with 27 receptions, 323 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Kolton Driskell is next with 26 catches, 310 receiving yards and three scores. Givers has registered 11 catches for 165 yards and one score.

Sophomores Synir Fields tops the Paladins with 80 total tackles and 58 assists. Senior Al Thompson leads the way with 31 solo stops and is second with 69 total tackles.

Senior Charles Sharp ranks third on the team with 53 total stops (22 solo, 31 assists), while senior Tristan Costoulas has recorded 52 total stops (20 solo, 32 assists) and junior Noah Hazard has made 51 tackles with 37 assists and 14 solo stops.

Hazard’s eight tackles for a loss tops the squad, while both senior Josh Petty and Sharp have seven. Petty leads the team with five sacks and Hazard has registered four sacks.

Costoulas has recorded three interceptions to lead the team. A total of seven players have recovered one fumble this season. Petty and Sharp share the team lead with a pair of forced fumbles.

(Photos by Leigh-Ann Thompson)