By Mike Blum

Fellowship Christian School was one play away from a Class A private school championship at the Georgia Dome.

The Paladins needed one defensive stop in the late going to knock off Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy, the state’s No. 1 team in Class A. But the Chargers converted a fourth-and-8 from their 23 and went on to send the game into overtime on a field goal with six seconds on the clock.

After the teams swapped field goals in the first overtime, ELCA scored a touchdown on their second OT possession and stopped the Paladins on fourth down to score a dramatic 34-27 victory, its third state title in the last five years.

It was a heartbreaking setback for Fellowship Christian, who lost for the first time this season after 13 straight wins. The Paladins entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed among the state’s Class A private schools after posting just the second winning record in 13 seasons of varsity football.Fellowship reached the state quarterfinals in 2007, but suffered through eight straight non-winning seasons before coming up just short of taking home a state title this year.

Trailing 14-7 at the half, the Paladins scored on all three of their offensive series in the second half, putting together three sustained drives that produced 17 points. Fellowship went 80 yards on 15 plays to take a 24-21 lead with 2:08 to play, but ELCA went down the field for a tying field goal.

After three straight lengthy, time-consuming drives in the second half, the Paladins could not muster any offense on their two overtime series, managing just seven yards in seven plays. The Chargers scored on their last two possessions of the second half, taking a 21-17 lead with 8:38 to play before the Paladins chewed up more than six minutes of clock to go back on top.

After settling for a tying field goal in the first overtime, ELCA went 15 yards on three straight running plays in the second OT before stopping the Paladins on fourth-and- 5 from the 10 to secure a victory in a very competitive game.

The Fellowship defense limited the explosive Chargers to one touchdown in the first three periods, with ELCA taking a 14-7 halftime lead on a 90-yard kickoff return, capping a 3-minute stretch that featured all the first half scoring.

After tying the game 14-14 on an 80-yard drive to start the second half, the Paladins quickly got the ball back on a fumble recovery and put together a sustained drive to take the lead on Garrett Depew’s 25-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter.

The Paladins settled for the field goal after having first down at the ELCA 10-yard line. It was one of five times Fellowship was inside the 30 without scoring a touchdown, twice kicking field goals and three times failing to convert on fourth down.

The one time Fellowship was successful on fourth down -- a 7-yard catch and run by Ryan Reid on fourth-and-7 from the ELCA 17, they managed just three yards on three runs up the middle before Depew’s field goal made it 17-14.

Fellowship was stopped twice on fourth down inside the ELCA 30 in the first half, and those two defensive stands by the Chargers turned out to be critical. The Paladins amassed 350 yards of offense in regulation before a talented ELCA defense clamped down in overtime. The Chargers took away the inside running of Fellowship’s Andrew Minkert, and contained FCS quarterback Jack Hardin other than a 19-yard scoring run that tied the game 14-14 in the third period.

Hardin finished with 66 yards on 18 carries, with Andrew Johnson leading the Paladins with 88 yards on 20 attempts, 46 of that total on a burst to the ELCA 1 early in the second period. Hardin scored on a sneak on the next play. The Paladins finished with 213 yards rushing.

Through three quarters, Hardin was 12 of 15 passing for 137 yards, but the 7-yard completion to Reid that led to the go-ahead field goal represented all of Fellowship’s passing yardage in the fourth quarter and overtime. Reid caught five passes for 71 yards in the first half, but had just two receptions for seven yards after that, as Hardin was pressured by ELCA’s pass rush, with the Chargers’ secondary blanketing the Fellowship receivers.

Reid also came up with one of the Paladins’ two interceptions in the first half, and forced a fumble recovered by Ethan Minkert in the third quarter with the score tied 14-14. Trey Robinson had the other interception in the second period, as the Paladins stopped the Chargers on four of five first half series. ELCA needed to go only 43 yards for their first touchdown after a 21-yard punt return, and drove 80 and 60 yards for scores in the second half. The Chargers managed 287 yards, 218 on the ground.

A 26-yard pass to Johnson set up Hardin’s tying TD in the third period, and some tough running by several FCS backs keyed a 15-play field goal drive that put the Paladins ahead.

The Chargers broke a 45-yard reverse to go ahead 21-17, and finally got their passing game going on the final drive after having five yards through three quarters. ELCA’s sophomore quarterback completed five passes for 58 yards on the tying drive, including a 14-yarder on third-and- 8 and a 27-yarder to get the Chargers into field goal range.

The Paladins went 80 yards in 15 plays to take their final lead, aided by two 15-yard penalties. Fellowship did not complete a pass on the drive, with the team’s wing-T offense grinding out the rest of the yardage. Merrick Haigler plowed into the end zone from the 2.