Whether it’s been close wins or back-to-back losses to close the regular season, Grace Christian’s turnaround this season hasn’t come without adversity.

So, it only makes sense that the Rams would face some right away to begin the Division II-AA playoffs.

Grace didn’t lead in the second half until there was fewer than four minutes remaining, but it fended off a physical Northpoint Christian rushing attack for a 35-28 home win in the first round on Friday night.

The Rams were 3-7 last season and didn’t make the playoffs.

Friday was their first playoff win since 2019.

Grace travels to Nashville this week to face defending state champion Christ Presbyterian Academy (11-0) in the second round.

Senior quarterback Weston Edmondson said he remembered the low points over the past few seasons, which makes him appreciate where the Rams are at now even more.

“A lot of people don’t know this program has been through a lot,” Edmondson said.

“This being my last game here, at Grace, at home, since my freshman year we’ve gone through a lot. A lot of lows, more than highs for sure, and when they came in (first-year head coach Justin Price and his twin brother and defense coordinator Matt) we knew something was going on here.

“And the Price brothers really preach that no matter how good it is, there are still going to be some bumps along the way.

“ … Coming back and getting this game, early on having a lot of adversity and pulling through really just describes this team we have. We have a lot of guys that are willing to work hard, put their foot in the ground and grind out a win.”

Friday, that adversity came in the form of a Northpoint team that traveled approximately 338 miles from Southaven, Miss., with its unique offense that averages less than four passes per game.

The game was tied at 14 at halftime, and both teams scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the second half, with Northpoint possessing the ball first.

Grace (9-2) finally got the defensive stop it was looking for midway through the fourth quarter with the game tied at 28.

The Trojans (6-5) attempted a rare pass on fourth-and-13 from the Grace 27-yard line, but only made it three yards on the running back screen. Jackson Coffey and Isaac Solomon were in on the tackle. Coffey had 13 tackles — including 2.5 for loss — for the Rams.

The stop put Grace in position to take the lead, but the Rams were also wanting to milk the clock so Northpoint didn’t get the ball back with a lot of time left.

As they did all night, the Rams leaned on sophomore running back Terrion Thomas to begin the drive, but when the opportunity for a big play presented itself, Grace took it.

Edmondson found receiver Blake Perkey on a deep ball for a 42-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 35-28 lead with 3:36 left in the game.

“That drive, my brother in the headset was like ‘hey, let’s try to run some clock here,’” Justin Price said.

“And we did a little bit, but Blake Perkey, who is a phenomenal receiver, he actually missed the last couple of games due to some injury, and they went some man coverage on us, and we felt like we had a mismatch there, and Blake ran a great route, and Weston threw a great ball.

“I know there was time left on the clock, but our defense made a huge stop to seal the win for us.”

That they did.

The Trojans went four-and-out on their final possession of the game. The first play of the drive was a run that went for minus-five yards. Thomas and Coffey made the tackle.

Thomas was also in on the tackle on fourth-and-5, stopping the Trojans two yards away from the first down with 1:57 remaining in the game.

Thomas, who was recently announced as a Mr. Football semifinalist, carried the ball 34 times for 145 yards and a touchdown, caught three passes for 81 yards and a touchdown, and had six tackles.

“That kid’s been special and I’ve known it since last year, and he’s really letting everyone else know it this year with how he’s been playing,” Edmondson said about Thomas.

“Everyone knows how good he plays on the field, but it’s a product of how hard he works. This kid loves football, he loves the game, and he’s really worked during the summer and offseason to show you guys how great of a player he is.

“I can’t wait to come back these next two years and see the kid play, I can’t even imagine.”

Edmondson went 15 of 23 passing for 212 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for two touchdowns.

The first was from 11 yards out and tied the game at 14 right before halftime; and the second was a 40-yard burst that tied the game at 21 with 8:03 remaining in the third quarter.

Just because Northpoint’s offense was one-dimensional didn’t mean it was easy to figure out. Northpoint typically lined up in the shotgun formation with running back Justin Henderson lined up level to quarterback Harrison Nowell.

Meanwhile, running back Damontae Dillard lined up near the offensive line and usually motioned past the quarterback and sometimes back to him before the snap.

There was even a double handoff that resulted in a 20-yard score where Nowell handed it to Henderson, who then handed it to Dillard.

For the game, the Trojans ran the ball 46 times compared to only two passes, and both running backs ran for 140-plus yards and two touchdowns.

“They basically play football in a phone booth,” Price said.

“Everything is right there, and they’ve got some great backs that can make plays within those gaps, or they bounce it out wide.

“It forces you to make some one-on-one tackles and play with some more defensive linemen than we’re typically used to, so it’s a tough offense, but our defense when we needed it the most in the fourth quarter made two big stops.”

Article written by Matthew Lutey/ 5Star Preps To read more on area high school sports or to see photo galleries, videos, stat leaders, etc… visit 5StarPreps.com — and use promo code New2024 for 30% off your first year or month subscription.