On Saturday, November 17, the 2018 OCP football season came to an end on a great note, with the Warriors being declared 2018 SSAC State Champions! The Warriors had a great season that got off to a slow 1-2 start, but caught some fire and finished with an eight game winning streak, and only one of those eight games was won with less than a two-touchdown lead!
Amidst the Warriors' great season, there was some individuals that stood out along the way. Senior quarterback Connor Edel completed 74 passes of 135 attempts for 23 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. Senior Athlete and Illinois State commit Jalen Carr had 94 carries for 1073 yards, boasting an impressive 11 yards per carry and adding 15 touchdowns on the ground, as well as another 300 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns through the air. Senior wide receiver and University of South Florida commit Xavier Weaver had 34 catches for 584 yards and 10 touchdowns. These are just a few of the many standout players on this year's OCP football team.
If you ask Coach D, he would say the Warriors won the championship long before the season even began. It started through much prayer, and a powerful event that brought this team closer to God, and each other, than any OCP team has been in the past. The team sacrificed some preseason practice and conditioning time to have sermons preached by Pastor Mike, Mr. Groves, and a few others. This resulted in over half the team and one coach being baptized on the 50 yard line of our very own football field. Many players' spiritual lives have changed much as they have grown much closer to God. This was just one step in making a public dedication of their lives to Christ.
The Warriors had a tough road to the state championship, facing Windermere Prep, who defeated the Warriors last year in a shootout 48-49. This year was different, as Coach D felt God calling him to show an act of trust in Him. The whole team marched around the middle of the field 7 times to represent the Israelites being given the win in the battle of Jericho. Coach D declared, “the battle is already won fellas, we just gotta trust in God and execute. I believe in this team!” All the players and coaches believed and it showed, God truly gave them the victory, with a score of 44-10!
This season impacted the whole team, with many players receiving college scholarships and all of the players making memories that they will never forget. A state championship is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and this year our Warriors made the most of it. Let's continue to congratulate them on such an amazing season.
From the OCP student news staff to all the football players and coaches: Congratulations, Warriors!
